U.S. patent number 10,668,332 [Application Number 15/917,845] was granted by the patent office on 2020-06-02 for electric motor and propeller driven toy rocket.
The grantee listed for this patent is Marc Gregory Martino. Invention is credited to Marc Gregory Martino.
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United States Patent |
10,668,332 |
Martino |
June 2, 2020 |
Electric motor and propeller driven toy rocket
Abstract
A self-propelled rocket toy includes an elongated body located
along a longitudinal axis having a top end opposite a bottom end.
The body includes at least two supports outwardly extending from
and fixed relative to the body. A propeller is centered about the
longitudinal axis located at the bottom end. An electric motor is
disposed within the body and mechanically connected to the
propeller. A power source is disposed within the body and
electrically connected to the electric motor. An activation
mechanism is electrically connected to the electric motor and the
power source. The activation mechanism may be a launch button. A
countdown timer is in communication with the electric motor and the
power source configured to delay the activation of the rocket after
the launch button is pressed by a user. A flight timer is
configured to automatically turn off the electric motor after a
predetermined time has elapsed.
Inventors: |
Martino; Marc Gregory (Westlake
Village, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Martino; Marc Gregory |
Westlake Village |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family
ID: |
51351595 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/917,845 |
Filed: |
March 12, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180193704 A1 |
Jul 12, 2018 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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15695011 |
Sep 5, 2017 |
9943731 |
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14261563 |
Oct 10, 2017 |
9782636 |
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13046089 |
Jul 15, 2014 |
8777785 |
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61816812 |
Apr 29, 2013 |
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61341124 |
Mar 26, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
43/002 (20130101); A63H 27/00 (20130101); A63H
33/18 (20130101); A63H 27/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
43/00 (20060101); A63H 33/18 (20060101); A63H
27/00 (20060101); A63H 27/14 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&ved=0ahUK-
EwiO3teR1vnaAhWOTt8KHZ1wDa4QFghpMAk&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.missileworks.com-
%2Fapp%2Fdownload%2F965483074%2FPET2_Manual.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0N-NB62odgeMyMf0-
Gso6ll; Feb. 1, 2002; www.missleworks.com. cited by
examiner.
|
Primary Examiner: Vanderveen; Jeffrey S
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hackler Daghighian Martino &
Novak
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This continuation application claims priority to continuation
application Ser. No. 15/695,011 filed on Sep. 5, 2017, which itself
claimed priority to application Ser. No. 14/261,563 filed on Apr.
25, 2014 now U.S. Pat. No. 9,782,636 issued on Oct. 10, 2017, which
itself was a continuation-in-part application claiming priority to
application Ser. No. 13/046,089 filed on Mar. 11, 2011 now U.S.
Pat. No. 8,777,785 issued on Jul. 15, 2014 which itself claimed
priority to provisional application 61/341,124 filed on Mar. 26,
2010. The continuation-in-part application Ser. No. 14/261,563 also
claimed priority to provisional application 61/816,812 filed on
Apr. 29, 2013. The contents of all the applications referenced
above are incorporated herein in full with these references.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A self-propelled rocket toy, comprising: an elongated rocket
body located along a longitudinal axis, the body extending between
a top end opposite a bottom end; a propeller centered about the
longitudinal axis and rotatably coupled at the bottom end of the
body, wherein the propeller is configured to rotate about the
longitudinal axis; an electric motor disposed in the body and in
mechanical communication with the propeller, wherein the electric
motor is configured to mechanically drive the propeller; a power
source disposed in the body and in electrical communication with
the electric motor, wherein the power source is configured to
supply an electric current flow to the electric motor to power the
electric motor which in turn is configured to rotate the propeller;
an activation mechanism located on or within the rocket body and in
electrical communication with the electric motor and the power
source, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to control
the electric current flow between the power source and the electric
motor for activating the electric motor for a powered accent;
wherein the activation mechanism includes a launch button in
electrical communication with the electric motor and the power
source, wherein the launch button is configured to be manually
activated by a user and when manually activated is configured to
provide the electric current flow from the power source to the
electric motor thereby spinning the propeller for the powered
accent; a countdown timer located within the body in electrical
communication with the electric motor and the power source, wherein
the countdown timer is configured to delay for a countdown time
period the activation of the electric current flow to the electric
motor after the launch button is activated by the user; and a
flight timer located within the body in electrical communication
with the electric motor and the power source, wherein the flight
timer is configured to automatically interrupt and turn off the
electric current flow to the electric motor during the powered
accent after a predetermined flight time has elapsed; wherein the
flight timer is configured to automatically interrupt and turn off
the electric current flow from the power source to the electric
motor for at least two different user-selectable predetermined
flight times thereby allowing the user to choose between at least
two different flight heights to be reached during the powered
accent.
2. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, wherein the power
source is a rechargeable battery.
3. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 2, wherein the
rechargeable battery is a NiCad, NiMh or LiPo battery.
4. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, including at least two
fin supports disposed near the bottom end of the body and outwardly
extending from, and fixed relative to, the body.
5. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 4, wherein the at least
two fin supports extend up and down in relation to the bottom end
in the same direction as the longitudinal axis such that they are
configured to slow a rotation of the body during the powered accent
as the body spins in an opposite rotational direction in comparison
to the propeller due to a rotational torque from the propeller.
6. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, including at least
three fin supports disposed near the bottom end of the body and
outwardly extending from, and fixed relative to, the body.
7. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 6, wherein the at least
three fin supports extend up and down in relation to the bottom end
in the same direction as the longitudinal axis such that they are
configured to slow a rotation of the body during the powered accent
as the body spins in an opposite rotational direction in comparison
to the propeller due to a rotational torque from the propeller.
8. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, including at least
four fin supports disposed near the bottom end and outwardly
extending from and fixed relative to the body.
9. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 8, wherein the at least
four fin supports extend up and down in relation to the bottom end
in the same direction as the longitudinal axis such that they are
configured to slow a rotation of the body during the powered accent
as the body spins in an opposite rotational direction in comparison
to the propeller due to a rotational torque from the propeller.
10. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, wherein the countdown
timer and the flight timer are the same timer.
11. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, wherein the countdown
timer and flight timer are functions by a microprocessor, wherein
the microprocessor is attached to a circuit board, and wherein the
circuit board is disposed within the body.
12. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, including a rocket
stand associated with the self-propelled rocket toy, wherein the
self-propelled rocket toy is configured to be placed upon the
rocket stand before the powered accent.
13. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 1, including a frame,
wherein the power source, the electric motor and the propeller are
connected to the frame and wherein the frame is attached to the
bottom end of the body.
14. The self-propelled rocket toy of claim 13, wherein the body
includes a cavity disposed at the bottom end, wherein the frame is
configured to be at least partially disposed within the cavity of
the body.
15. A self-propelled rocket toy configured to be activated by a
user for a powered accent into an airspace from a starting level
and thereafter automatically deactivating while in the airspace for
returning to the starting level, the self-propelled rocket toy
comprising: an elongated rocket body extending along a longitudinal
axis wherein the body includes a top end opposite a bottom end, the
body including a cavity disposed at the bottom end; at least three
fin supports outwardly extending from, and fixed relative to, the
body, wherein the at least three fin supports extend up and down in
relation to the bottom end in the same direction as the
longitudinal axis such that they are configured to slow a rotation
of the body during the powered accent as the body spins in an
opposite rotational direction in comparison to a propeller due to a
rotational torque from the propeller; a frame attached to the
bottom end of the body and at least partially disposed within the
cavity of the body; the propeller located about the bottom end of
the body and rotatably coupled to the frame, wherein the propeller
includes an axis of rotation that is aligned with the longitudinal
axis, wherein the propeller comprises at least two blades each
extending out away from the axis of rotation; an electric motor
attached to the frame and in mechanical communication with the
propeller, wherein the electric motor is configured to mechanically
drive the propeller; a rechargeable battery attached to the frame
and in electrical communication with the electric motor, wherein
the rechargeable battery is configured to provide an electric
current flow to the electric motor; a button attached to either the
frame or the body, wherein the button is in electrical
communication with the electric motor and the rechargeable battery,
and wherein the button is configured to be manually activated by
the user and configured to start the electric current flow for
activation of the electrical motor for the powered accent; and a
timer located within the body in electrical communication with the
electric motor and the rechargeable battery, wherein the timer is
configured to delay the powered accent by delaying the electric
current flow to the electric motor after the button is activated by
the user thereby providing a countdown time period, and wherein the
timer is configured to automatically interrupt and turn off the
electric current flow to the electric motor during the powered
accent after a predetermined flight time has elapsed thereby
returning the self-propelled rocket toy to the starting level.
16. A self-propelled rocket toy configured to be activated by a
user for a powered accent into an airspace from a starting level
and thereafter automatically deactivating while in the airspace for
returning to the starting level, the self-propelled rocket toy
comprising: an elongated rocket body extending along a longitudinal
axis, the body defining a top end opposite a bottom end, wherein
the body for the powered accent is oriented with the top end facing
up towards the airspace and the bottom end facing down towards the
starting level; at least four fin supports outwardly extending from
and fixed relative to the body, wherein the at least four fin
supports extend up and down in relation to the bottom end in the
same direction as the longitudinal axis such that they are
configured to slow a rotation of the body during the powered accent
as the body spins in an opposite rotational direction in comparison
to a propeller due to a rotational torque from the propeller; the
propeller generally centered about the longitudinal axis located at
the bottom end, wherein the propeller includes an axis of rotation
that is generally aligned with the longitudinal axis, wherein the
propeller comprises at least two blades each extending out away
from the axis of rotation; an electric motor disposed within the
body and in mechanical communication with the propeller, wherein
the electric motor is configured to mechanically drive the
propeller; a power source disposed within the body and in
electrical communication to the electric motor, wherein the power
source is a rechargeable LiPo battery; a launch button in
electrical communication with the electric motor and the power
source, wherein the launch button is configured to be manually
activated by the user and when manually activated is configured to
provide an electric current flow from the power source to the
electric motor thereby spinning the propeller for the powered
accent; a countdown timer located within the body in electrical
communication with the electric motor and the power source, wherein
the countdown timer is configured to delay the activation of the
electric current flow to the electric motor after the launch button
is activated by the user; a flight timer located within the body in
electrical communication with the electric motor and the power
source, wherein the flight timer is configured to automatically
interrupt and turn off the electrical current flow from the power
source to the electric motor after at least two different
user-selectable predetermined flight times have elapsed thereby
allowing the user to choose between at least two different flight
heights to be reached during the powered accent; and a rocket stand
associated with the self-propelled rocket toy, wherein the
self-propelled rocket toy is configured to be placed upon the
rocket stand before the powered accent.
Description
DESCRIPTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to flying toys. More
particularly, the present invention's claims relates to a toy
rocket which uses an electrical power source and electric motor to
drive a propeller which in turn creates an upward thrust for the
rocket's powered accent.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS
This disclosure teaches a variety of flying toys. First, there are
several improvements for a self-propelled flying toy, herein
referred to commonly as the Jetball. The Jetball can resemble a
football and be used in a similar manner for throwing and catching.
The improvements to the self-propelled flying toy are a
continuation of the developments previously disclosed in
application Ser. No. 11/500,749 filed on Aug. 8, 2006 and also the
CIP application Ser. No. 11/789,223 filed on Apr. 24, 2007, which
are both incorporated in full herein by reference.
The self-propelled flying toy includes a body with a ducted fan
located inside the body and along a longitudinal axis. A motor and
power source drive the ducted fan to create thrust for
self-propulsion. Air is drawn in through air-inlets along the front
of the body and can also be drawn through auxiliary air-inlets
around the center of the body. Thrust is directed through an
air-outlet at the back of the body. To counter the affects of
gyroscopic precession, the front of the body has at least two
angled surfaces facing an opposite thrust-generating rotational
direction relative to the ducted fan. These angled faces create an
opposite gyroscopic precession force which then cancels out the
gyroscopic precession from the ducted fan. The result is a flying
toy that flies in a straight direction.
Second, a new toy is disclosed as a self-propelled rocket. This toy
is commonly referred to as the PropRocket. The PropRocket is a safe
alternative to the combustion driven model rockets commonly used
today. Combustion driven rockets are extremely dangerous and not
suitable for unsupervised play by children. The PropRocket is
electrically powered and easily rechargeable and quickly
relaunchable. The self-propelled rocket toy includes an elongated
body with a propeller coupled at the bottom end. An electric motor
and power source drive the propeller to create an upward thrust.
There are a variety of activation methods that are possible with
the electric rocket, including technology developed in the
Jetball.
Third, a new toy is disclosed as a throwing and catching flying
toy. This toy is commonly referred to either as the Flying
Football, the Wing-It Football or the Gliding Football. The
throwing and catching flying toy includes a structural support
attached with a lift-generating wing. A body which is used to throw
and catch the toy is rotatably attached to the support. A tail and
tail fin are connected either to the body or the structure and
provides stability in the air, much as a tail fin on an airplane
does. The body spins in the air when thrown similar to a football,
yet the structural support and wings remain level during flight for
producing lift. The result is the farthest flying football,
allowing users to greatly increase the distance thrown.
Fourth, a new toy is disclosed as a bowless arrow which is commonly
referred to as the Bowless Arrow. The toy is similar to an arrow,
in that it flies through the air like an arrow, yet can be launched
without an auxiliary bow. This is because the bow functionality has
been integrated into the arrow. The bowless arrow includes a shaft
with a slider translatably coupled. A resiliently stretchable bias,
such as a rubber band or spring, is attached to the slider and the
rear of the arrow. The slider is held in the front-hand while the
arrow is drawn backwards with the rear-hand. Upon release, the
slider forces the body of the arrow forward against the
forward-hand.
In another variation upon the Bowless Arrow, lift-producing wings
can be attached to the body such that the toy is able to glide
substantially further. This is a fifth new product and is commonly
referred to as the Arrow Plane.
Sixth, a new toy is disclosed as a distance-enhanced throwing toy.
This toy is commonly referred to as the Catapult Javelin, for lack
of a better name. The distance-enhanced throwing toy includes an
elongated shaft with a tail fin at the rear for stability. An
elongated handle is pivotably attached near the front of the shaft.
The handle is temporarily and securedly biased and pivotable
between a first position and a second position. The handle and
shaft are generally parallel in the first position and the handle
and shaft are generally perpendicular in the second position. A
person can grab the handle in the second position and swing the toy
at an increased velocity as compared to a normal throwing motion,
such as with a football or baseball. The release speed is increased
because of the length of the handle is further away from the body
of the person throwing it. Upon release, the handle moves into the
first position such that the overall toy is aerodynamic for forward
flight.
Seventh, a new toy is disclosed as a throwing and flying toy. This
toy is commonly referred to as the Cruise Missile, as its shape can
be formed to resemble a cruise missile. The Cruise Missile is
similar in nature to the Catapult Javelin, but also includes
lift-producing wings for substantially increased distance thrown.
The throwing and flying toy includes an elongated body having a
front portion rotatably attached to a rear portion. A tail fin and
lift-generating wing are attached to the rear portion, while an
elongated handle is pivotably attached to the front portion of the
body. The handle is temporarily and securedly biased and pivotable
between a first position and a second position similar to the
Catapult Javelin. Not only is the speed at which the toy thrown
increased, but lift generated by the wings also increases the
distance thrown.
New toy designs are constantly being invented to satisfy the
curiosity and interest of the consuming public. Flying toys are of
particular interest and has become a billion dollar industry.
Accordingly, there is always a need for a variety of new flying
toys. The present inventions fulfill these needs and provide other
related advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS
Jetball--Gyroscopic Precession Countermeasures:
A self-propelled flying toy is disclosed comprising a body defined
as including a front section, a center section and a back section
each along a longitudinal axis. A ducted fan is located within the
body substantially centered about the longitudinal axis. A motor is
mechanically coupled to the ducted fan and a power source is
coupled to the motor, either electrically or energetically. An
air-inlet is located substantially within the front section in
airflow communication with the ducted fan. An air-outlet is located
substantially within the back section in airflow communication with
the ducted fan. At least two angled surfaces are fixed relative to
the body and located substantially within the front section. Each
of the at least two angled surfaces are substantially evenly
centered about the longitudinal axis and facing an opposite
thrust-generating rotational direction relative to the ducted
fan.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the at least
two angled surfaces may be in airflow communication with the
air-inlet. The at least two angled surfaces may comprise a
plurality of angled surfaces.
In another exemplary embodiment the body may be shaped as an oblate
spheroid. Furthermore, the oblate spheroidal body may truncated
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis located substantially about
the back section. The air outlet may be substantially 3.5 inches in
diameter or greater.
Another exemplary embodiment may include an auxiliary air-inlet
located substantially within the center section about the
longitudinal axis in airflow communication with the ducted fan. The
auxiliary air-inlet may comprise a plurality of auxiliary
air-inlets. The plurality of auxiliary air-inlets may each define
an aperture extending substantially about 0.5 inches or greater
ahead and about 0.5 inches or greater behind the ducted fan in a
direction along the longitudinal axis. Furthermore, the air-inlet,
auxiliary air-inlet and air-outlet each may include an
air-permeable structure.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a centrifugal switch
disposed within the body detecting rotation about the longitudinal
axis. The centrifugal switch may regulate operation of the ducted
fan, wherein the ducted fan is powered when rotation about the
longitudinal axis is detected and not powered when rotation about
the longitudinal axis is not detected. Said differently, another
embodiment may include a means for automatic activation and
deactivation of the motor by detecting an in-flight condition and a
not-in-flight condition, wherein such means is located within the
body and in communication with the motor and power source. Also,
the embodiment may include a timer located within the body in
communication with the motor and power source, wherein the motor
after activation will automatically turn off after a predetermined
time.
Jetball--Auxiliary Air-Inlet:
A self-propelled flying toy is disclosed comprising a body defined
as including a front section, a center section and a back section
each along a longitudinal axis. A ducted fan is located within the
body substantially centered about the longitudinal axis. A motor is
mechanically coupled to the ducted fan and a power source is
coupled to the motor. An air-inlet is located substantially within
the front section in airflow communication with the ducted fan. An
air-outlet is located substantially within the back section in
airflow communication with the ducted fan. An auxiliary air-inlet
is located substantially within the center section about the
longitudinal axis in airflow communication with the ducted fan.
In various exemplary embodiments the auxiliary air-inlet may
comprise a plurality of auxiliary air-inlets all located
substantially within the center section about the longitudinal axis
each in airflow communication with the ducted fan. Also, the
plurality of auxiliary air-inlets may each extend substantially at
least 0.5 inches ahead and 0.5 inches behind the ducted fan in a
direction along the longitudinal axis. The plurality of auxiliary
air-inlets may each comprise an air-permeable structure.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a centrifugal switch
located within the body detecting rotation about the longitudinal
axis. The centrifugal switch regulates operation of the ducted fan,
wherein the ducted fan is powered when rotation about the
longitudinal axis is detected and not powered when rotation about
the longitudinal axis is not detected. Said differently, another
embodiment may include a means for automatic activation and
deactivation of the motor by detecting an in-flight condition and a
not-in-flight condition, wherein such means is located within the
body and in communication with the motor and power source.
Furthermore, a timer may be located within the body in
communication with the motor and power source, wherein the motor
after activation will automatically turn off after a predetermined
time.
Another exemplary embodiment may include at least two angled
surfaces fixed relative to the body disposed substantially within
the front section, wherein each of the at least two angled surfaces
are substantially evenly centered about the longitudinal axis and
facing an opposite thrust-generating rotational direction relative
to the ducted fan. The at least two angled surfaces may also be in
airflow communication with the air-inlet. The at least two angled
surfaces may also comprise a plurality of angled surfaces evenly
centered about the longitudinal axis.
In another exemplary embodiment, the body may be an oblate
spheroidal shape. Furthermore, the oblate spheroidal body may be
truncated perpendicular to the longitudinal axis disposed about the
back section. Additionally, the air outlet may be substantially 3.5
inches in diameter or greater.
PropRockets:
A self-propelled rocket toy is disclosed comprising a substantially
elongated body located along a longitudinal axis which is defined
as including a top end opposite a bottom end. A propeller is
substantially centered about the longitudinal axis located about
the bottom end. An electric motor is mechanically coupled to the
propeller. A power source is electrically coupled to the electric
motor. An activation mechanism is electrically coupled to the
electric motor and power source.
In various exemplary embodiments the power source may comprise a
rechargeable battery, such as a NiCad, NiMh, or LiPo battery.
Alternatively, the power source may comprise a capacitor.
Another exemplary embodiment may include at least three supports
outwardly extending from and fixed relative to the body, each
support substantially evenly spaced about the longitudinal axis and
extending below the propeller. Furthermore, a ring may be aligned
around the longitudinal axis and propeller. The ring may also be
connected to the at least three supports. Also, the at least three
supports may be lift-generating devices each angled at an opposite
thrust-generating rotational direction relative to the
propeller.
In another exemplary embodiment, the activation mechanism may
comprise a launch button located relative to the body and in
communication with the electric motor and power source. A timer may
be located within the body in communication with the electric motor
and power source, wherein the electric motor after activation will
automatically turn off after a predetermined time. Alternatively,
the activation mechanism may comprise a receiver disposed within
the body in electrical communication with the electric motor and
including a remote launch transmitter for remotely activating the
electric motor and propeller.
In another exemplary embodiment, the activation mechanism may
comprise a centrifugal switch disposed within the body and in
communication with the electric motor and power source, wherein the
centrifugal switch is configured upon detecting rotation about the
longitudinal axis to activate the electric motor and propeller.
Again, a timer may be located within the body in communication with
the electric motor and power source, wherein the electric motor
after activation will automatically turn off after a predetermined
time. Said differently, the activation mechanism may comprise a
means for automatic activation and deactivation of the motor by
detecting an in-flight condition and a not-in-flight condition,
wherein such means is located within the body and in communication
with the electric motor and power source. A timer may be located
within the body in communication with the motor and power source,
wherein the motor after activation will automatically turn off
after a predetermined time.
Flying Football:
A throwing and catching flying toy is disclosed comprising a
structural support including a lift-generating wing attached
relative to the support. A body is rotatably attached relative to
the support, wherein the body comprises a front section fixed
relative to a rear section. Both the front and rear sections rotate
about a longitudinal axis. A tail is located relative to either the
support or the body extending in a direction beyond the rear
section of the body. A tail fin is attached relative to an end of
the tail.
In an exemplary embodiment, the wing may be pivotably adjustable in
a pitch axis relative to the support. A thumb grip may be fixed
relative to the support and located along and adjacent to the rear
section of the body. The wing may comprise a breakaway wing or also
be a dihedral wing. The dihedral angle may be at or greater than 10
degrees or 20 degrees. The wing may also be positioned above the
longitudinal axis.
In another exemplary embodiment, the body may comprise a generally
oblate spheroidal or football shape. The tail fin may comprise a
plurality of tail fins. The support may be located between and
separate the front section and the rear section. The rear section
may be smaller in diameter than the front section. The tail may be
located along the longitudinal axis and fixed relative to the body.
The plurality of tail fins may be fixedly attached to the end of
the tail. The plurality of tail fins may be angled with respect to
the longitudinal axis. The plurality of tail fins may be rotatably
attached to the end of the tail.
In another exemplary embodiment, the support may be located behind
the rear section of the body. The front section and rear section
may be formed as a single and continuous body. The wing may
comprise a left wing and a right wing both attached relative to the
support. The left and right wings may each be pivotably adjustable
in a pitch axis relative to the support.
Bowless Arrow:
A bowless arrow is disclosed comprising a shaft defined as
including a forward end opposite a rear end. A slider is
translatably coupled along the shaft including a front-hand support
extending perpendicular to the shaft. A rear-hand grip is located
substantially about the rear end of the shaft. A resiliently
stretchable bias is attached relative to the slider and either the
rear end of the shaft or the rear-hand grip.
An exemplary embodiment may include an arrow tip located at the
forward end of the shaft. The arrow tip may comprise an energy
dissipating material. Also, a plurality of tail fins may be
substantially evenly located about the rear end of the shaft.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a lift-generating wing
attached relative to the shaft. The wing may be pivotably
adjustable in a pitch axis relative to the shaft. The wing may
comprise a dihedral wing that is at or greater than 10 degree or 20
degrees. Furthermore, the wing may comprise a breakaway wing.
In another exemplary embodiment, the arrow tip may comprise a
substantially oblate spheroidal or football shape.
Catapult Javelin:
A distance-enhanced throwing toy is disclosed comprising an
elongated shaft defined as having a forward end opposite a rear
end. A tail fin is located about the rear end of the shaft. A tip
is located relative to the forward end of the shaft. An elongated
handle is pivotably attached substantially near the forward end of
the shaft. The handle is temporarily and securedly biased and
pivotable between a first position and a second position. The
handle and shaft are substantially parallel in the first position
and the handle and shaft are substantially perpendicular in the
second position.
In another exemplary embodiment, the tail fin includes a plurality
of tail fins substantially evenly located about the rear end of the
shaft. The tip may comprise an energy dissipating material.
A bias mechanism may be attached relative to the shaft and handle.
The bias mechanism temporarily and securedly biases the handle in
the first and second positions. The bias mechanism may comprise an
elastomeric material or spring.
In another exemplary embodiment, the tip may comprise a generally
oblate spheroidal or football shape.
Cruise Missile:
A throwing and flying toy is disclosed comprising a substantially
elongated body including a front portion rotatably attached to a
rear portion. A tail fin is located about the rear portion of the
body. A lift-generating wing is attached relative to the rear
portion of the body. An elongated handle is pivotably attached
relative to the front portion of the body. The handle is
temporarily and securedly biased and pivotable between a first
position and a second position. The handle and body are
substantially parallel in the first position and the handle and
body are substantially perpendicular in the second position.
In an exemplary embodiment, the wing may be pivotably adjustable in
a pitch axis relative to the rear portion of the body. The wing may
comprise a breakaway wing or a dihedral wing. Also, the tail fin
may be rotatably attached relative to the rear portion of the
body.
In another exemplary embodiment, the body may comprise a
substantially missile-like shape. Furthermore, the tail fin may
comprise a plurality of tail fins substantially evenly located
about the rear portion of the body. A tip may be located about the
front portion, wherein the tip comprises an energy dissipating
material. Alternatively, the tip may comprise a generally oblate
spheroidal or football shape.
In another exemplary embodiment, a bias mechanism may be attached
relative to the front portion and handle. The bias mechanism may
temporarily and securedly bias the handle in the first and second
positions. The bias mechanism may comprise an elastomeric band, a
rubber band or a spring.
As used herein throughout the entirety of this disclosure:
substantially means largely but not wholly that which is specified;
plurality means two or more; disposed means joined or coupled
together or to bring together in a particular relation; and
longitudinal means of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise
dimension or relating to length.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by
way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an exemplary self-propelled
flying toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an exploded front perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
powerplant assembly of FIGS. 1-4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exemplary self-propelled rocket
toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a powerplant assembly for the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another exemplary self-propelled
rocket toy body embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 9 is a side view of an exemplary throwing and catching flying
toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 10 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9;
FIG. 12 is a side view of another exemplary throwing and catching
flying toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 13 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a side view of another exemplary throwing and catching
flying toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 16 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 15;
FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main body of the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 15;
FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tail and tai fin
of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 15;
FIG. 20 is a rear view of the tail and tail fin of the exemplary
embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 19;
FIG. 21 is a front perspective view of an exemplary bowless arrow
embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 22 is a back perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 21;
FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary embodiment
in FIG. 22;
FIG. 24 is an enlarged exploded front perspective view of the
launch mechanism of FIG. 23;
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the exemplary bowless arrow of
FIG. 21 being cocked for launch;
FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the exemplary bowless arrow of
FIG. 21 being launched;
FIG. 27 is a front perspective view of another exemplary bowless
arrow embodying one of the present inventions, now with wings;
FIG. 28 is a side view of an exemplary distance-enhanced throwing
toy embodying one of the present inventions, with handle extended
for throwing;
FIG. 29 is a side view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 28, with
handle retracted for flight;
FIG. 30 is an enlarged view of the bias mechanism of the embodiment
of FIG. 28, with handle extended for throwing;
FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of the bias mechanism of the embodiment
of FIG. 29, with handle retracted for flight;
FIG. 32 is a front perspective view of an exemplary throwing and
flying toy embodying one of the present inventions, with handle
extended for throwing;
FIG. 33 is a front perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 32, with handle retracted for flight;
FIG. 34 is a side view of another exemplary throwing or catching
flying toy embodying one of the present inventions;
FIG. 35 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 36 is a back view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 37 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 38 is a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG.
34;
FIG. 39 is an exploded front perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 40 is an exploded rear perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 41 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 42 is a side perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 34;
FIG. 43 is a front and side perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 44 is a rear and side perspective view of the exemplary
embodiment of FIG. 34;
FIG. 45 is a top perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 34;
FIG. 46 is an enlarged view taken from section 46-46 of FIG.
45;
FIG. 47 is an enlarged perspective view of the rotatable push
surface;
FIG. 48 is a sectional side view of the exemplary embodiment of
FIG. 34;
FIG. 49 is an enlarged sectional side view of the front structure
of FIG. 48;
FIG. 50 is an enlarged sectional side view of the rear structure of
FIG. 48;
FIG. 51 is a simplified representation of an exemplary
self-propelled rocket toy now showing how a first embodiment of a
support would interact with the airflow during an ascent;
FIG. 52 is a simplified representation of another exemplary
self-propelled rocket toy now showing how a second embodiment of a
support would interact with the airflow during an ascent;
FIG. 53 is a simplified representation of another exemplary
self-propelled rocket toy now showing how a third embodiment of a
support would interact with the airflow during an ascent;
FIG. 54 is a simplified representation of the exemplary
self-propelled rocket toy now showing how the third embodiment of a
support would interact with the airflow during a descent;
FIG. 55 is a simplified representation of another exemplary
self-propelled rocket toy now showing a pivotable flap integrated
into the outside surface of the support;
FIG. 56 is a simplified representation of the structure of FIG. 54
now showing how the pivotable flap would interact with the airflow
during a descent;
FIG. 57 is a simplified representation of a how a support could be
movably attached to the body of the rocket now shown in a
stationary position;
FIG. 58 is a simplified representation of the structure of FIG. 56
now showing how the support would interact with the airflow during
an ascent;
FIG. 59 is a simplified representation of the structure of FIG. 56
now showing how the support would interact with the airflow during
a descent;
FIG. 60 is a simplified side view of another exemplary embodiment
of a self-propelled rocket toy with movable support now showing the
left support in the stationary position and the right support
upside down;
FIG. 61 is a side view of an exemplary support with extension
structure; and
FIG. 62 is a simplified side view of another exemplary embodiment
of a self-propelled rocket toy with movable supports now showing
how during autorotation the extension structures protect the
propeller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Jetball:
There are several improvements disclosed herein for a
self-propelled flying toy 80, herein referred to commonly as the
Jetball. In some embodiments, the Jetball may resemble a football
and be used in a similar manner for throwing and catching. The
improvements to the self-propelled flying toy 80 are a continuation
of the developments previously disclosed in application Ser. No.
11/500,749 filed on Aug. 8, 2006 and also the CIP application Ser.
No. 11/789,223 filed on Apr. 24, 2007, which are both herein
incorporated in full by reference.
Development of the Jetball has resulted in a significant amount of
research and development in attempts to make the product function
appropriately, let alone make it marketable. Initial prototypes of
the Jetball were significantly heavy, as they were on the order of
300-400 grams. These Jetballs used a significant amount of LiPo
batteries to generate enough force to make the product interesting
and fun to play with. Generating enough thrust to make a noticeable
difference was extremely tough for a 400 gram football. Two packs
of 3 cell LiPo batteries each at 11.1V and 700 mAh were used wired
in parallel. An electric ducted fan intended for radio control
ducted fan aircrafts was utilized. The resulting product generated
a significant amount of thrust, yet had several problems.
First, the resulting product was actually intimidating. The thrust
generated was significant and would sound intimidating while it
approached the receiver. Second, the product at the time was still
a prototype and it could be somewhat dangerous to catch as the
ducted fan blades were not fully protected from a stray finger or
two. Third, the resulting product was not very durable, as the
significant amount of overall weight became a burden when dropped
or simply not caught. The internal components were intended for an
RC aircraft, not a football which strikes the ground with a
substantial amount of force. It was clear that making a durable
production quality version would be extremely challenging. Fourth,
the product would ultimately cost too much at retail to be
marketable. A new Jetball version was required that would solve
these aforementioned problems.
This particular Jetball prototype had to be thrown underhanded if
you were right-handed. This was so because the motor and ducted fan
happened to rotate in the exact wrong direction for a right-handed
thrower. When you throw a football, you initially put a substantial
amount of spin on the football to help keep a true trajectory. From
the perspective of a right-handed thrower, the football leaves the
thrower with a clockwise spin. The internal ducted fan of the
prototype would want to spin the football the wrong direction
(counter-clockwise) for a right-handed thrower. It must be
appreciated that the torque imparted on the football body from the
ducted fan is quite substantial. Rather than fight the torque, I
simply threw the football underhanded as I could easily do
such.
It was at this time I noticed something strange but never gave it
much thought until later. I noticed a slight tendency for the
football to veer to the left when thrown. I noticed it enough that
on long throws I would throw the football a bit to the right to
compensate for this slight veering affect. The veer was repeatable
and would always occur, but I felt the inaccuracy of my hand-made
construction or my underhanded throwing technique was to blame. I
later learned something unique was happening.
I proceeded to develop the next design iteration of the Jetball. I
aimed for an overall weight of about 100 grams. As the overall
power levels needed were substantially reduced, so then should the
cost be reduced as well. Also, the product would be safer to play
with as it would no longer be scary or impose such a great risk
from an accidental impact between the ducted fan and a stray
finger. I proceeded to develop such a product based off of various
toys, rapid prototyping parts and through hand-carved foams and
assembly.
This new prototype happened to use motors and ducted fans that were
properly geared for a right-hand throw, so I could now toss it
overhand. This product was also about 100 grams in weight, or about
a fourth to a third of the overall weight of the earlier Jetball
prototypes. When I first threw the toy, the Jetball severely turned
to the right. At first I thought I was throwing it wrong. However,
the more and more I tested it out the more it wanted to repeatedly
veer substantially to the right. In fact, it would change direction
about 90 degrees. If I wanted a football that could literally be
thrown around a corner, I had it. However, this toy would never be
marketable if it kept turning in mid air.
I noticed that the latest prototype turned to the right, while the
previous prototype turned to the left. This was consistent with the
torque effect from the ducted fan of each. I hypothesized that the
first product had less of a veer due to the fact that it was
heavier. After much research, the phenomenon of gyroscopic
precession was discovered. This is a phenomenon which is not
intuitive in any way. Gyroscopic precession is when a rotating
ducted fan has a force imparted perpendicularly to its rotation.
This only happens when the ducted fan is pushing forwards or
backwards, and not up and down. When a ducted fan is facing up and
down, and therefore pushing up and down, there is no gyroscopic
precession affect. It is only when the ducted fan is pushing
forwards and backwards in a horizontal direction that gyroscopic
precession causes a perpendicular force to twist the aircraft in
flight.
All ducted fan driven airplanes and propeller driven airplanes
suffer from gyroscopic precession. Usually the speed of the
aircraft and the interaction between the air and the flight control
surfaces are such that the effect is negligible. However, on my 100
gram Jetball the effect was severe. Pilots, whether for radio
control aircraft or for real aircraft, are taught that when
performing a slow stall turn the aircraft will naturally rotate
much more easily one direction as compared to the other. This is
due to gyroscopic precession. One may have noticed that approaching
aircraft seem to always be slightly angled one direction or the
other when taking off and landing. It is easy to chalk this up to a
slight breeze, but it is more likely the natural tendency of
gyroscopic precession to want to twist the aircraft while in
flight.
I had to find a solution to the problem. I tried everything I could
think of. I tried shifting the center of gravity of the football
forward and backward, yet it made no difference. I tried adding on
a significant tail section and tail fins to force the football to
go straight, yet it made little difference. After two weeks of
trial and error, I cut out balsa wood sections and created an
angled nose section that crudely resembled a ducted fan. In essence
the front of the ball resembled a ducted fan, as crude as it was,
while still retaining a football like shape. Low and behold when I
threw the football, it veered the other direction! I knew instantly
that I invented a fix.
The solution to making a self-propelled flying toy 80 fly straight
is to create a front section 14 that is angled similar to FIGS.
1-4. The front section 14 acts like a ducted fan and creates an
equal and opposite gyroscopic precession affect that cancels out
the gyroscopic precession affect from the ducted fan 22. In my
prototypes and figures herein, I used and show four angled surfaces
82 that comprise the angled intake. If you make the angle intake
too severe, the toy 80 will veer to the left. If you make the angle
intake not severe enough, the toy 80 will veer to the right. This
also means that counter-rotating blades will eliminate gyroscopic
precession, but then that requires a more complicated gearing and
ducted fan design and assembly. In the instant design, using four
angled surfaces 82 happens to work well in matching the four sides
of a traditional football such that the angled intake shapes are
not strange looking or out of place. In fact, the design is so
seamless that few who use the product will ever recognize the
angled surfaces 82 as a correction for a gyroscopic precession
problem.
With reference to the following FIGS. 1-5, the numbering is
consistent with and is a continuation from the previously filed
application Ser. No. 11/500,749 filed on Aug. 8, 2006 and also the
CIP application Ser. No. 11/789,223 filed on Apr. 24, 2007, both of
which are fully incorporated herein. A self-propelled flying toy 80
is disclosed comprising a body 12. The body 12 is defined as
including a front section 14, a center section 16 and a back (rear)
section 18 each along a longitudinal axis 20. A ducted fan 22 is
located within the body 12 substantially centered about the
longitudinal axis 20. A motor 24 is mechanically coupled to the
ducted fan 22. The motor 24 may be an electric motor similar to the
previous applications (Ser. No. 11/500,749 and Ser. No. 11/789,223)
or may now be an internal combustion engine. The reference to a
motor 24 as used in this instant application is not specific to
particular type of motor, unless further specified in the claims. A
power source 26 is coupled to the motor 24. The power source 26 may
be an electrical power source similar to the previous applications
(Ser. No. 11/500,749 and Ser. No. 11/789,223) or comprise a
combustible fuel for an internal combustion engine. The reference
to a power source 26 as used in the instant application is not
specific to a particular type of power source, unless further
specified.
At least two angled surfaces 82 are fixed relative to the body 12
and located substantially within the front section 14. Each of the
at least two angled surfaces 82 are evenly centered about the
longitudinal axis 20 and facing an opposite thrust-generating
rotational direction relative to the ducted fan 22. As the ducted
fan 22 spins, it causes the body 12 to spin in the opposite
direction. Thrust is generated by the ducted fan 22, but thrust is
also generated by angled surfaces 82 of the body 12. The gyroscopic
precession from the ducted fan 22 is then canceled by the equal and
opposite gyroscopic precession from the angled surfaces 82. As can
be understood, the angled surfaces 82 must be facing a particular
direction as to create thrust when the body 12 rotates. This is
opposite the way the surface of the ducted fan blades must be
angled, as the ducted fan 22 rotates in an opposite direction as
compared to the body 12.
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, there are a total of four angled surfaces
82. It is to be understood by one skilled in the art that a range
of a number of angled surfaces 82 can be used. For instance 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, or a plurality of angled surfaces 82 can be used to
counter the gyroscopic precession from the ducted fan 22. It is to
be understood that at least two angled surfaces 82 are required to
create an opposite gyroscopic precession affect. Furthermore, the
angled surfaces 82 may also be in airflow communication with the
air-inlet 28 and ultimately the ducted fan 22. As air enters the
toy 80 it first interacts with the angled surfaces 82. Air can then
pass through the air-inlet 28 and an air-permeable structure 38.
Air can then interact with the ducted fan 22 and is propelled out
the air-outlet 30 and out another air-permeable structure 38.
The particular embodiment of the flying toy 80 in FIGS. 1-5 is made
from Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) and ABS plastic to achieve its
target weight of 100 grams. This means the toy 80 is sufficiently
light but also more fragile than a typical football. This exemplary
embodiment of the toy 80 is not meant to be played with in an
overly rough or potentially destructive manner, such as tackle
football or being kicked. However, a problem arises when the toy 80
closely resembles a football. If it looks like a football, the odds
are great that a user will try to play with it as such and risk
damaging the toy 80. Therefore, it is reasoned that some variation
of styling might be invented such that the toy 80 would look
different enough from a football as not to instigate such rough
usage.
Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment the oblate spheroidal body
12 may truncated perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 20 located
substantially about the back section 18 resulting in a truncated
end 84. FIGS. 1 and 3 best show the truncated end 84. The body 12
now has more of a bullet-like shape with a curved front section 14
and a flat (truncated) back section 18. The body 12 is still
sufficiently curved and sized such that a user is able to grasp the
toy 80 within their hands and throw the toy 80 in a spiral motion,
similar in how a football can be thrown. It is to be understood by
one skilled in the art that the body 12 can be formed in a variety
of shapes which are still able to be thrown and caught, and this
disclosure is not intended to limit it to the precise form
described and shown herein. For instance the toy 80 can be styled
similar to a bullet, a missile, a football or any combination
thereof.
FIG. 3 shows how the air-permeable structure 38 can be integrated
into the air-outlet 30 such that it keeps fingers away from the
ducted fan 22. In this particular embodiment the air-outlet 30 has
an air-permeable structure 38 which is formed from an injection
molded plastic. The plastic structure 38 fits within the rear
section 18 of the air-outlet 30 and helps to add strength and
stability to the overall toy 80.
The size of the air-outlet 30 is also critical. It was discovered
during thrust testing of different air-outlet 30 designs that
making a smaller diameter air-outlet 30 resulted in a significant
amount of loss thrust. It was found that the air-outlet 30 should
be substantially around 3.5 inches in diameter or greater for a
ducted fan 22 that is substantially about 4 inches in diameter. If
the air-outlet 30 is sized too small, thrust is actually retarded
significantly as air tries to come out the air-inlet 28.
To develop the powerplant (motor, battery, gearing, ducted fan) of
the Jetball, a bench powerplant was devised. This bench powerplant
was mounted upon a digital scale and pointed directly upwards. In
other words, a ducted fan was pointed upwards such that it was
thrusting downwards on the scale when in operation. The scale would
be zeroed right before a thrust test to then determine how much
thrust a particular powerplant was producing. This was needed as
there are an endless variety of ducted fan sizes and shapes,
motors, gearing and RC battery types that could be utilized.
One such exemplary embodiment of a powerplant combination utilized
the tail rotor from a RC helicopter (like the Piccolo Helicopter
tail rotor prop) cut down to about 4 inches in diameter, a 12 mm
diameter motor from GWS-EDF-50 that was rated for 6-7.2 volts, a
gearing ratio of about 3:10 and a LiPo battery of 7.4 Volts and
about 300 mAh. This combination produced about 100 grams of thrust
and was found to be a suitable for this application. The smaller
gear 90 attaches to the motor 24 and the larger gear 92 attaches to
the ducted fan 22. The smaller gear 90 has 12 teeth and a pitch
diameter of 6 mm. The larger gear 92 has 40 teeth and a pitch
diameter of 20 mm.
While this powerplant worked well without any structure around it,
a test diameter of foam was slowly lowered over and around the fan
while it ran. The test diameter of foam was about 4.5 inches in
diameter, just enough to slip over the rotating ducted fan. As the
test diameter of foam approached the ducted fan, the sound and
pitch of the ducted fan changed, and surprisingly the thrust
produced dropped significantly. Through trial and error, it was
determined that when an outer diameter structure is placed within
either 0.5 inches ahead of the ducted fan or 0.5 inches behind the
ducted fan, the thrust levels would be dramatically reduced.
Therefore, to increase performance of the toy 80 an exemplary
embodiment may include an auxiliary air-inlet 86 (also called a
hover vent or cheater vent) located substantially within the center
section 16 about the longitudinal axis 20 in airflow communication
with the ducted fan 22. The auxiliary air-inlet 86 may comprise a
plurality of auxiliary air-inlets 86. The plurality of auxiliary
air-inlets 86 may each define an aperture 88 extending
substantially about 0.5 inches or greater ahead and 0.5 inches or
greater behind the ducted fan 22 in a direction along the
longitudinal axis 20. Furthermore, the air-inlet 30, the auxiliary
air-inlet 86 and the air-outlet 30 may each include an
air-permeable structure 38. The auxiliary air-inlets 86 may also be
shaped to help channel air into the ducted fan 22 as the body 12
spins. Each portion or span of the air-permeable structure 38 for
the auxiliary air-inlets 86 is angled to help channel and direct
air inwards to the ducted fan 22. The auxiliary air-inlets 86 can
be fashioned in a multitude of ways. FIGS. 1-4 show that the
auxiliary air-inlets are divided into four main sections placed
about the circumference of the body 12 about the center section 16.
It is to be understood by one skilled in the art that a multitude
of different designs for the auxiliary air-inlets 86 may be
fashioned and this disclosure is not limited to any particular
embodiment or teaching.
The self-propelled flying toy 80 can be activated in a multitude of
ways and methods previously taught in application Ser. No.
11/500,749 and application Ser. No. 11/789,223. In short, a
centrifugal switch 94 may be disposed within the body 12 detecting
rotation about the longitudinal axis 20. The centrifugal switch 94
regulates operation of the ducted fan 22, wherein the ducted fan 22
is powered when rotation about the longitudinal axis 20 is detected
and not powered when rotation about the longitudinal axis 20 is not
detected. Said differently, another embodiment may include a means
for automatic activation and deactivation of the motor 24 by
detecting an in-flight condition and a not-in-flight condition,
wherein such means is located within the body 12 and in
communication with the motor 24 and power source 26. Also, these
embodiments may include a timer 96 located within the body 12 in
communication with the motor 24 and power source 26, wherein the
motor 24 after activation will automatically turn off after a
predetermined time.
FIG. 4 shows how one embodiment may be constructed. A first section
98 may be made of EPP foam or some other comparable resilient
material. The foam should be about 1.4 lbs per square inch, to keep
the weight down. The first section 98 includes the front section 14
and half of the center section 16. A second section 100 may also be
made of EPP foam or some other comparable resilient materials. The
first section 98 and the second section 100 make up a majority of
the body 12 of the toy 80. It can be seen that when the two
sections 98 and 100 are joined, they form the body 12 of the toy
80. A first plastic screen 102 forms the air-permeable structure 38
that prevents fingers from entering the air-inlet 28 of the
auxiliary air-inlet 86. When the first section 98 is joined with
the second section 100, it captures in place the first plastic
screen 102. Also, a second plastic screen 104 can be attached to
the rear of the second section 100 which acts as an air-permeable
structure 38 about the air-outlet 30.
FIG. 5 shows more detail of the exemplary powerplant used within
the toy 80. The motor 24 is mechanically coupled to the ducted fan
22 through a smaller gear 90 and a larger gear 92. The power source
26 supplies energy to the motor 24. The smaller gear 90 is directly
attached to the motor 24 and the larger gear 92 is directly
attached to the ducted fan 22. It is to be understood that a
variety of gearing or directly-driven ducted fans 22 may be
utilized. An electrical board 106 can include the centrifugal
switches 94, an on-off switch 32, or other switches required to
make the toy 80 operate. The electrical board 106 is wired to
control the flow of energy from the power source 26 to the motor
24.
Although several embodiments of and improvements to the self
propelled flying toy 80 have been described in detail for purposes
of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly,
the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended
claims.
PropRockets:
Development of the PropRocket led from development of the Jetball,
as the two products are capable of sharing a multitude of similar
parts. Accordingly, the information disclosed in the Jetball is
directly applicable and incorporated into the PropRocket disclosure
without repetition.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, a self-propelled rocket toy 200 is
disclosed comprising a substantially elongated body 202 located
about a longitudinal axis 204 which is defined as including a top
end 206 opposite a bottom end 208. A propeller 210 is substantially
centered about the longitudinal axis 204 located about the bottom
end 208. An electric motor 212 is mechanically coupled to the
propeller 210. A power source 214 is electrically coupled to the
electric motor 212. An activation mechanism 216 is electrically
coupled to the electric motor 212 and power source 214. In various
exemplary embodiments the power source 214 may comprises a
rechargeable battery, such as a NiCad, NiMh, or LiPo battery.
Alternatively, the power source 214 may comprise a capacitor.
While using the same Jetball powerplant worked well for the
prototype of the PropRocket, in production it may be better to use
a capacitor in place of a battery. A capacitor is significantly
cheaper than a LiPo battery, or even a NiMH or NiCAD battery.
Batteries store energy chemically, whereas a capacitor stores
electrical energy in the electrical form. While a capacitor can be
charged and discharged quickly, it will also lose its stored energy
over time very rapidly. However, the play pattern of the PropRocket
lends itself to a charge and launch play pattern. This means that
an external and auxiliary charger 220 can be used to quickly charge
the capacitor. For instance, the auxiliary charger 220 can be
plugged into a charger port 224 located on the body 202. Once
charged the PropRocket can be immediately launched fully expending
its stored energy. The PropRocket will fall to the earth to simply
be recharged again and again.
Another exemplary embodiment of the self-propelled rocket toy 200
may include at least three supports 218 outwardly extending from
and fixed relative to the body 202. Each support 218 is
substantially evenly spaced about the longitudinal axis 204 and
extending below the propeller 210. Now referring to FIG. 8, a ring
222 may be located about the longitudinal axis 204 and around the
propeller 210 connected to the at least three supports 218. The
supports 218 help to provide a foundation for the toy 200 and help
to keep the propeller 210 away from striking the ground. The
supports 218 and ring 222 work together to provide protection from
the spinning propeller 210. An air-permeable structure similar to
the Jetball can be integrated into the supports 218 and ring 222,
however it is thought unnecessary considering the toy 200 doesn't
interact with the hands as much as the Jetball does during throwing
and catching.
In another exemplary embodiment not shown, the supports 218 may be
lift-generating devices each angled at an opposite
thrust-generating rotational direction relative to the propeller
210. As the propeller 210 spins, it causes the body 202 to spin in
the opposite direction. Thrust can be gained by forming the
supports 218 to generate lift either by creating a wing-profile or
angling the supports 218.
There are a multitude of methods or ways the self-propelled rocket
toy 200 can be launched. In one exemplary embodiment, the
activation mechanism 216 may comprise a launch button 226 located
relative to the body 202 and in communication with the electric
motor 212 and power source 214. After pressing the launch button
226, a countdown can be started and displayed either visually
through LEDs or through a speaker projecting a countdown. A timer
228 may also be located within the body in communication with the
electric motor 212 and power source 214, wherein the electric motor
212 after activation will automatically turn off after a
predetermined time. The timer 228 can be adjusted to turn the motor
212 off at different intervals which correspond to different
heights achieved during flight.
In another exemplary embodiment, the activation mechanism 216 may
comprise a receiver 230 disposed within the body 202 and including
a remote launch transmitter 232 for remotely activating the
electric motor 212 and propeller 210.
In another exemplary embodiment, the activation mechanism 216 may
comprise a stand 236 that the toy 200 is placed upon. The stand 236
can resemble a full size launch pad or other stylistically
appeasing forms. The stand 236 can incorporate the charging
mechanism either from batteries or a wall mounted plug. Once the
toy 200 is charged, it can be activated from a tethered launch
button 238 or a launch button 240 located on the stand 236.
A new and unique way to activate the rocket toy 200 is to manually
launch it from a person's hand by spinning the body 202 in the air.
While it is commonly known to spin a football in flight, it is not
commonly known or thought of to spin a rocket in flight. In this
exemplary embodiment, the activation mechanism 216 may comprises a
centrifugal switch 234 disposed within the body 202 and in
communication with the electric motor 212 and power source 214,
wherein the centrifugal switch 234 is configured upon detecting
rotation about the longitudinal axis 204 to activate the electric
motor 212 and propeller 210. This embodiment is directly similar to
the activation methods disclosed for the Jetball, as all activation
methods of the Jetball are applicable to the PropRocket and are
incorporated herein. Said differently, the activation mechanism 216
may comprise a means for automatic activation and deactivation of
the motor 212 by detecting an in-flight condition and a
not-in-flight condition, wherein such means is located within the
body 202 and in communication with the electric motor 212 and power
source 214. A timer 228 may be located within the body 202 in
communication with the motor 212 and power source 214, wherein the
motor 212 after activation will automatically turn off after a
predetermined time.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a powerplant assembly showing how a
frame 242 can be made to connect the motor 212 and the power source
214. An electrical board 244 is mounted to frame 242 and can
include the activation mechanism 216. The frame 242 is designed to
be slide within and connect to the bottom end 208 of the elongated
body 202. The electrical board 244 can include any necessary
electronic components, including the charger port 224, the launch
button 226, or any other switches such as an on/off switch, LED
lights or even a small speaker for sounds and countdowns. A heat
sink may be attached to the motor 212 to dissipate heat energy in
the motor 212 from repeated use. The heat sink shown herein
comprises four surfaces that interact with air. Furthermore, the
heat sink may be used in any of the toys herein utilizing a motor
or the like.
The PropRocket must be properly balanced to achieve a controlled
and straight flight upwards. Initial prototypes were wobbly and
erratic while flying upwards. After trial and error, three dimes
were placed on the inside of the lower foam ring 222. The
PropRocket instantaneously flew perfect. This means that a certain
amount of mass placed at a distance away from the propeller 210 and
below the propeller 210 helps to stabilize the flight
characteristics. In fact, one exemplary embodiment might allow the
user to selectively place coins in premade receptacles to adjust
flight characteristics.
The outside ring 222 can act as a safety feature helping to keep
fingers away from the rotating propeller 210. The outside ring 222
can also be deleted as shown in FIG. 6 to then allow the PropRocket
body 202 to better imitate a real rocket. As can be imagined by one
skilled in the art, there are an endless amount of variations that
can be fashioned to create a line of different rocket bodies.
Other exemplary embodiments of the PropRockets are possible. For
instance, a glider PropRocket could be devised such that once the
PropRocket reaches its apex, the motor deactivates and the
PropRocket glides back to the ground. It would be beneficial if the
glide path was somewhat circular such that the PropRocket would
come down in about the same place as when it was launched. Another
exemplary embodiment is to include a deployable parachute that
activates once the PropRocket reaches its apex. Another exemplary
embodiment is to create an RC glider from the PropRocket. The
PropRocket would launch like a PropRocket, but once it reached the
apex it could be controlled through a radio transmitter and
receiver setup. A payload series PropRocket is yet another
exemplary embodiment where the PropRocket would carry a payload to
the apex and then detach. For instance, the detachable portion
could be a glider, an RC glider, a parachute or any other
deployable payload. As can be seen by one skilled in the art and
from this disclosure, there are a multitude of PropRocket
variations that could be devised.
FIGS. 51-62 show further improvements to the PropRockets. Referring
now to FIG. 51, if the supports 218 that extend outwardly from the
elongated body 202 are angled, they may be angled to increase the
overall lift of the toy 200 during an ascent. FIG. 50 is a
simplified representation of the forces acting on the support 218
in comparison to the propeller 210. Shown here is a single slice of
the interactions with the air flow. The air flow 246 is seen coming
at an angle. This is because the toy 200 is rising and the spinning
at the same time. To the support 218, the air flow 246 is
approaching as shown. As the support 218 moves along its rotation
248 it will redirect the air flow 246 downward and create
propulsion. The same thing is happening to the propeller 210 just
in the opposite direction. The air flow 250 is directed downwardly
and producing propulsion because the propeller 210 is spinning in
rotation 252. While the setup of FIG. 50 works well for ascent, it
does not work well once the motor 212 is shut off. This is because
the angle on the support 218 will create an opposite torque and
cause the body 202 to spin in the opposite direction.
Now referring to FIG. 52, the support 218 can be oriented straight
up and down. During ascent the support 218 moves along rotation 248
but will not impart any upwards propulsion to the toy 200. The
support 218 will slow the rotation of the body 202 as it hits the
air flow 246. The propeller 210 behaves the same way as in FIG. 51.
The torque produced by the motor overcomes any drag created by the
support 218 and the toy 200 will continue to rotate. However,
during descent the support 218 will tend to slow the rotation of
the body 202 and the toy 200 will fall quite quickly.
FIG. 53 shows the support 218 oppositely angled in comparison to
FIG. 51. As the support 218 moves along rotation 248, it will
provide either propulsion downward or stall the rotation 248
significantly. Assuming the propeller 210 creates enough thrust to
still force the toy 200 upwards, the air flow 246 hitting the
support 218 will cause the rotation of the body 202 to slow. In
FIG. 53 the propeller still behaves the same way as in FIG. 51. The
rotation of the body 202 will be significantly slowed.
The structure of FIG. 53 is also shown in FIG. 54 but now the motor
212 has been stopped and the toy 200 is falling back to earth. With
reference now to FIG. 54, the air flow 246 will impact the support
218 and cause the body 202 to continue to rotate along rotation
248. The propeller 210 is also similarly shaped and air flow 250
impacting the propeller will help to rotate the body 202 along
rotation 252. Therefore, FIG. 53 teaches an embodiment where the
rocket toy will autorotate as it falls to the earth. Autorotation
will slow the descent of the toy 200 and is also quite enjoyable to
see in action. A favorable aspect is that the rotation 248 of the
body 202 never stopped whether going up or down. The body 202 wants
to rotate in the same direction whether the toy 200 is in ascent or
in descent.
FIG. 55 is another embodiment of a support 218 designed to enhance
autorotation. Here, a flap 254 is pivotably attached to the support
218. The flap 254 may be attached with a hinge, joint or other
mechanism or simply taped onto the support 218.
FIG. 56 shows what happens during a descent of the toy 200. Air
flow 250 will force the flap to pivot about its hinge or about its
pivot. An extension 258 can increase the surface area of the flap
254. As the flap 254 pivots upwards, a stop 256 will prevent the
flap 254 from over rotating. The flap 254 then causes the body to
rotate along rotation 252. Autorotation can be achieved simply with
the addition of this pivotable flap 254 while not departing from
the aesthetics of the traditional rocket form.
FIGS. 57 through 62 show yet another embodiment where the supports
218 are translatable and pivotable in a predefined motion such that
autorotation is maximized while also not severely limiting the
propulsion upwards of the toy 200. As shown in FIG. 57 the toy 200
is stationary and laid up a surface. Each support 218 has a first
guide 260a and a second guide 260b. The first guide 260a is
configured to move within the first track 262a. The second guide
260b is configured to move within the second track 262b. When the
toy 200 is placed on a surface, the weight of the toy 200 biases
the guides 260 at the top of each track 262. In this way the
supports are locked into place and seem fixed to the body 202.
FIG. 58 shows the toy 200 when it is ascending. The toy 200 is
being propelled upwards and the body 202 is being spun due to the
torque on the body 202 from the motor and propeller. As the body
moved upwards, the guides 260 fell downward in the tracks 262. Then
as the airflow 246 impacts the supports 218, the supports 218
rotate about the first guide 260a. The supports 218 are now
directly facing into the air flow 246. This orientation does not
produce any thrust upwards, but it does minimize the drag generated
by the supports 218.
FIG. 59 shows the toy 200 when it is descending. Now the supports
218 pivot even further about the guide 260a until the second guide
260b comes to its end of the track 262b. Now the support 218 is in
the optimal position to create a substantial autorotation
function.
FIG. 60 incorporates the similar structures taught and shown in
FIGS. 57-59. Each support 218 has a stand 264. The stand 264 may be
a separate part or integrally formed as part of the support 218.
Support 218a is shown to demonstrate that the stand 264a keeps the
propeller 210 from touching surface 270. However, when the support
218c rotates completely upside down it would no longer protect the
propeller 210 from impact when the toy 200 autorotates back to the
ground. An extension 266 is shown to prevent the propeller 210 from
ever impacting the surface 270. The extension 266 must be
configured such that it keeps the propeller 210 off the ground no
matter how the support 218 is rotated about the axis of pivot
268.
FIG. 61 shows one embodiment of the extension 266 which is attached
to the stand 264. As can be seen the distance 272 is the same about
the axis of pivot 268.
FIG. 62 shows another embodiment of how extensions 266 could be
devised to keep the propeller 210 from impacting the surface 270
when autorotating. Here the extensions 266 are asymmetrical as they
are only needed to be disposed on one side of the stands 264. This
is because as shown in FIGS. 57-59 the motion of the supports 218
are defined along the tracks 262. As can be seen, the transition
from ascent to descent is seamless as the body 202 never stops its
rotation along the same direction.
It is also possible to configure a variety of mechanisms and
configurations to produce the desired motion of the supports 218.
This teaching is not intended to limit it to just the precise form
disclosed herein. Furthermore, the supports 218 may be motorized
such that even greater control can be obtained. For instance, the
supports could be angled to produce thrust during ascent while also
angling further over during descent or angled directly upwards when
the toy 200 is stationary such that it resembles a traditional
rocket form.
Although several embodiments of the self-propelled rocket toy 80
have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to
be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Flying Football:
Referring now to FIGS. 9-20, a throwing and catching flying toy 300
is commonly referred to either as the Flying Football, the Wing-It
Football or the Gliding Football. The throwing and catching flying
toy 300 comprises a structural support 302 including a
lift-generating wing 304 attached relative to the support 302. A
body 306 is rotatably attached relative to the support 302, wherein
the body 306 comprises a front section 308 fixed relative to a rear
section 310. Both the front section 308 and rear section 310 rotate
about a longitudinal axis 312. A tail 314 is located relative to
either the support 302 or the body 306 extending in a direction
beyond the rear section 310 of the body 306. A tail fin 316 is
attached relative to a tail end 318.
In exemplary embodiments, the body 306 may comprise a generally
oblate spheroidal or football shape. It is also to be understood
that the body 306 can be formed to resemble other various shapes,
such as missile, rockets or other combinations thereof. The rear
section 310 is formed such that a person can grasp the toy 300
within their hand and then throw the toy 300 in a similar motion in
how a football is thrown. The front section 308 is formed such that
it is easy to catch, in a similar manner as to how a football is
caught.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 12-14, the front section 308
and rear section 310 may be formed as a single body 306. In other
embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9-11 and 15-18, the front section
308 may be formed separate from the rear section 310, while the
sections are still fixedly connected. More specifically, the
support 302 may be located between and separate the front section
308 and the rear section 310. In some embodiments, as shown in
FIGS. 9-11, the rear section 310 may be smaller in diameter than
the front section 308. This is so because it is easier to grasp a
smaller diameter rear section 310 for throwing, and it is also
easier to catch a larger front section 308 when catching the toy
300. In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15-18, the front
section 308 and rear section 310 are the substantially the same
diameter such that the transition between the sections does not
vary in shape and diameter.
The body 306 is rotatable with respect to the support 302. This is
most easily accomplished with a bearing 322. It has been found that
the bearing 322 should be of a very low friction. This can be
accomplished with a relatively loose fitting roller ball bearing
which does not have grease. Grease imparts enough friction that the
body 306 does not freely rotate. Other low friction bearings are
suitable replacements if the friction of the bearing is low enough.
The bearing 322 is most easily seen in FIG. 18. FIG. 18 shows how
the bearing 322 allows the front section 308 and rear section 310
to rotate freely about the support 302.
A thumb grip 320 may be fixed relative to the support 302 and
located along and adjacent to the rear section 310 of the body 306.
The thumb grip 320 is shaped and formed such that a user's thumb
presses the thumb grip 320 while the toy 300 is held. Due to the
low friction of the bearing 322, the structural support 302 and
wing 304 would rotate when the toy 300 was held before a throw. The
thumb grip 320 allows the body 306 to be temporarily fixed relative
to the support 302. Once the toy 300 is in the air, the thumb grip
320 is released and the body 306 is able to rotate freely. In the
various embodiments, the thumb grip 320 extends from the support
302 and is positioned just above the rear section 310. In FIGS.
9-11 and 15-17 the thumb grip 320 starts at the support 302 and
moves rearward over the rear section 310. In FIGS. 12-14 the thumb
grip 320 starts at the support and moves forward over the rear
section 310. The thumb grip 320 is also positionable on either side
of the support 302 such that it can be used for either a
right-handed thrower or a left-handed thrower. Additionally, the
thumb grip 320 can be positioned at various locations on each side
of the support 302 such that it can be sized for people of varying
hand sizes. For instance, an adult has a larger hand and might want
to move the thumb grip 320 further over as compared to a child with
a smaller hand.
In an exemplary embodiment, the wing 304 may be pivotably
adjustable in a pitch axis 324 relative to the support 302.
Adjusting the pitch of the wing 304 is necessary to trim the toy
300 in flight. If the pitch is too great, the toy 300 may fly in an
upward arc and then stall before it reaches the intended receiver.
If the pitch is too less, the toy 300 may fly downwards and crash
into the ground prematurely. The right amount of pitch is necessary
such that the toy 300 can fly in a long and straight flight
path.
To achieve this adjustability the wing 304 may be pivotably
adjustable with respect to the structure 302. FIG. 18 best shows
how this pivotable adjustment could operate, as there are a
multitude of methods one skilled in the art could devise. The wing
304 is pivotable about a pivot 326. The wing 304 is biased against
the pivot 326 by a bias 330, or also a spring means or a rubber
band. The pitch of the wing 304 is therefore adjusted by a screw
328. As the screw 328 threads into the wing 304, it causes the
whole wing 304 to either pitch up or pitch down relative to the
support 302. The toy 300 can be thrown and adjusted to achieve the
right amount of overall pitch.
Another feature of the design of FIG. 18 is that the wing 304 can
also be a breakaway wing 304. This means that the wing 304 can come
apart from the support 302 and be easily replaced. For instance,
when the toy 300 crashes, a wing that is fixedly attached might
snap and break. To prevent this, the wing 304 is held in place with
the bias 330. When the bias 330 is overcome, the wing 304 simply
comes apart from the support 302. Then the wing 304 can be
reattached to the support 302 for further play. It is to be
understood by one skilled in the art that a multitude of designs
can be devised where the wing 304 is breakaway and this disclosure
is not intended to limit it to the precise form described and shown
herein.
Another feature of the exemplary embodiments may incorporate a wing
304 that has an amount of dihedral built in. Dihedral is best shown
in FIGS. 11, 14, and 17. The dihedral angle 332 is a measure of the
angle between the wing that is horizontal and the wing that is
angled upwards. A wing that has an amount of dihedral built into it
is inherently stable. As one side of a wing tips downward and
becomes more aligned along a horizontal plane, it essentially
generates more lift, which then causes it to rise. Dihedral helps
to keep the toy 300 flying level and causes the support 302 and the
wing 304 to remain upright while the rest of the body 306 rotates
during flight. The wing 304 may be broke apart into two separate
halves as is shown in FIGS. 9-11, or the wing 304 may comprise one
single wing 304 with a horizontal section 334 joined by two
dihedral sections 336 as is shown in FIGS. 14-17. The dihedral
angle 332 can be a variety of angles, such as 10 degrees or 20
degrees. The more the dihedral angle 332, the more stability is
increased while an amount of overall lift is lost.
Another feature of the exemplary embodiments is placing the wing
304 above the center of gravity of the toy 304 or above the
longitudinal axis 312. By placing the wing 304 above the center of
gravity, it makes the toy 300 inherently stable. Placing the wing
304 below the longitudinal axis or below the center of gravity
would make the toy 300 inherently unstable. The high placement of
the wing 304 combined with the dihedral angle 332 makes the toy 300
stable in flight.
The tail 314 can extend rearward from either the support 302 as
shown in FIGS. 12-14, or the tail 314 can extend from the rear
section 310 of the body 306 as shown in FIGS. 9-11 and 15-18. When
the tail 314 extends from the support 302, the tail 314 is
stationary in that it doesn't rotate with the body 306. When the
tail 314 extends from the rear section 310 of the body 306, the
tail 314 rotates with the body 306.
The tail fin 316 may be attached to the tail end 318. The tail fin
316 may be either fixedly attached or rotatably attached to the
tail end 318. FIGS. 19-20 show an embodiment where the tail fin 316
is rotatably attached to the tail end 318. Bearings 322 may be used
to rotatably attach the tail fin 316 to the tail end 318. The tail
fin 316 may be comprised of two vacuum-formed plastic parts 338
that are fastened together to capture the bearings 332. For
instance, the vacuum-formed plastic parts may be comprised of
polycarbonate sheets which are either 10, 15 or 20 thousands of an
inch thick. This allows the tail fin 316 to remain light and
durable. It is essential for stability that the tail assembly of
the toy 300 remain light such that it causes the body 306 of the
toy 300 to straighten during flight. Through testing an overly
heavy tail assembly shows bad stability during flight and can
become uncontrollable. In another embodiment, the tail fin 316 can
be angled such that during forward flight, it induces the tail fin
316 to spin. In another embodiment, the tail fin 316 can be a
plurality of tail fins 316. As be understood by one skilled in the
art a variety of tail designs can be formed as this disclosure is
not intended to limit it to any of the precise forms shown and
described herein.
The throwing and catching flying toy 300 is the farthest flying
football due to the lift-generating wing 304 which allows the toy
300 to actually fly like a glider once thrown in the air. All
footballs are simply rotating projectiles. A projectile will travel
a set distance that is dependent upon its aerodynamic resistance,
exit velocity, overall weight, rotational velocity and various
other factors. One variable that is not a factor is lift.
Lift is produced by a wing profile. The reason a football and a
wing haven't been combined is that a football body rotates while a
wing cannot rotate. A wing can only generate lift if it doesn't
rotate and stays relative to the ground. The solution is to allow
part of the football to rotate, while allowing the wings to stay
stationary.
The center of gravity of the toy 300 in relation along the
longitudinal axis 312 should be substantially in the middle of the
rear section 310 or near a location between the front section 308
and rear section 310. This means that when the toy 300 is held in
the throwing hand about the rear section 310, the center of gravity
should be located in the center of the hand as well, but not behind
the hand. This allows for a good feeling for throwing the toy 300.
If the center of gravity is behind the throwing hand, it is
extremely difficult to throw correctly. Therefore, getting the
center of gravity within the correct location is critical to making
the toy 300 easy to throw.
Another exemplary embodiment not shown would be the integration of
the Jetball into the Flying Football. This exemplary embodiment
would include the lift-generating wing characteristics of the
Flying Football, with the self-propelled characteristics of the
Jetball.
Provisional application 61/816,812 filed on Apr. 29, 2013 showed in
FIGS. 1-3 another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As
compared to FIGS. 9-20 of this application, the football body of
the '812 application did not rotate. The body was stationary with
respect to the wings and tail section.
FIG. 4 of the '812 application showed an exploded perspective view
of the structure of FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 4 showed it was comprised of a
front foam section and a rear foam section separated by a plastic
piece. Separating the football body into two sections had the
advantage that the foams can comprise different materials. For
instance, the front foam can be a soft type foam that is configured
to absorb impact loads when the football is caught by a catcher or
strikes an object, such as a tree, a car, another person or the
ground. The front foam can comprise a soft and resilient type of
foam that gives under load but bounces right back after the force
is removed. The durable and resilient foam also lessens the g-loads
experienced by the rest of the product during a crash.
The rear foam does not have to be the same type of foam as the
front foam. The rear foam can be comprised of a stiffer and lighter
material such as EPP, EPS or EPO foam. These foams are
significantly lighter than as compared to the front foam and help
to keep the overall weight of the product low. The rear foam can
also be stiffer such that a thrower of the football can get a good
grip on the product.
The part separating the front and rear foam is fastened or attached
to the center shaft that runs the length of the product. In this
case the shaft is 15 mm diameter 7075-T6 aluminum. Through testing
10 mm diameter aluminum shafts were used. However, these shafts
were constantly breaking and bending during use of the product.
Increasing the diameter from 10 mm to 15 mm increases the overall
strength of the aluminum shaft. Furthermore, the aluminum shaft is
strong because it is made from 7075-T6 which is a very strong alloy
of aluminum that has also undergone a heat treatment process to
increase its strength.
The part separating the front and rear foam can be glued to the
aluminum shaft, press fitted, or fastened to the shaft. When the
football impacts an object, impact loads are transmitted through
the front foam and to the middle part that then transmits the loads
to the shaft. This means that for the most part, impact loads are
not transmitted through the rear foam. The middle part can be
injection molded. In this particular case the middle part is
comprised of polypropylene (PP) due to its low density. The front
foam can be glued to the middle part to ensure that the front foam
stays attached to the rest of the product. The middle part is this
embodiment is fastened to the shaft with a bolt and a nut (not
shown).
Behind the rear foam is the wing bracket. FIGS. 5-6 of the '812
application are further exploded views of the body of the football.
The wing bracket captures the rear foam between the middle part and
the wing bracket. The wing bracket can also be attached to the
center shaft in a multitude of ways but is shown here with a hole
for a fastener (not shown). Through product testing a lot of force
is transmitted through the wing bracket part. Typically prototype
parts were made using ABS. However, ABS would snap and break due to
fatigue. It was discovered that polycarbonate (PC) is an optimum
choice for the wing bracket that reduces breaks and mechanical
failure.
FIGS. 7-9 of the '812 application are various views showing the
novel attachment means between the wings and the wing bracket. When
the product strikes the ground or strikes a tree, a large amount of
force is transmitted through the wings into the wing bracket. This
area of attachment is a zone that is prone to failure. Using screws
to primarily hold the wing to the wing bracket led to repeated
failures. The embodiment here teaches to hard mount the wing to the
wing bracket through a male-female feature that reduces the loads
carried by a fastener. For instance, in these embodiments the wing
bracket has a male section that is match fitted to fit within a
female section on the wing. In this embodiment the male protrusion
is shaped as an oval such that proper placement and location is
automatic. The wings cannot move relative to the oval which locks
the wings in place.
By placing one part inside of the other, impact loads are
transmitted through the materials themselves and not through a
fastener. Here, a fastener is still used but it is not a load
carrying fastener. A bolt/screw/fastener can enter from above the
wing and a nut can be placed within the channel located on the wing
bracket. The fastener and nut simply help hold the wing onto the
wing bracket, but no major impact loads are needed to flow through
the bolt and nut. In this embodiment the hole that the nut is
placed within is match sized such that a socket or a wrench needed
to hold the nut in place is not needed. This simplifies the overall
parts needed for a customer to assemble the product and reduces
costs. The Applicant prefers to use a bolt/screw with a locknut.
Lock nuts have nylon inserts that prevent unfastening due to
vibration. Therefore, the hole in the wing and wing bracket is a
through hole. A screw could be used, but then the screw would have
to bite into the plastic of the wing or wing bracket. Threads would
be formed by the screw and could create areas of stress
localization that would result in premature failure. As can be
seen, the male or female side could be switched between the wing
and wing bracket. Also, many sizes and shapes of male-female
features could be used that accomplish the same result.
At the rear of the wing bracket it is flat and has two extensions
designed for placement of the first and middle finger. Because this
particular embodiment does not spin, it is intended that the
thrower of the product place his/her first and middle finger on the
back of the wing bracket. The throwing action is then a mix between
a football throw and that of a throw for a dart or a glider. The
flat surface allows a great location to impart a large push force
for extended throws.
FIGS. 10-13 of the '812 application show an embodiment of a tail
section of the football. This particular design is configured to
also act as an upright stand as best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 of
the '812 application. Both tail sections provide the needed
stability to make the product fly straight during use. However, the
horizontal tail is designed to be manually adjustable. A thumb
screw (not shown) is configured to go into the rear protrusion on
the horizontal tail. It has been discovered by the applicant that
the product flies best when nose-heavy. This means that the center
of gravity of the product is ahead of where the lift is generated
by the wings. This means that if the horizontal tail was purely
horizontal the product would nose dive to some extent. To
counter-act this nose dive, the horizontal tail can be manually
biased up through the thumb screw. The thumb screw threads through
the protrusion on the horizontal tail and pushes against the center
shaft. This then causes the horizontal tail to push down when in
flight. The user can then adjust the balance of the football to
achieve perfect flight characteristics. To help bias the horizontal
tail against the center shaft, a rubber band or other bias means
can be used. Here, a rubber band (not shown) can be placed around
the protrusion on the horizontal tail and the shaft.
FIG. 13-15 of the '812 application shows another embodiment of the
wing bracket. In this embodiment, the wing bracket was shortened
and the finger push section raised. This was done to locate the
finger push sections at the vertical center of gravity of the
overall product. It is preferred to have the finger push section
centered on the center gravity. However, the product still could
work if it was centered within 0.5 inches or even 1.0 inch of the
center of gravity. It was discovered in the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 1-12 that the cg was higher/above the finger push areas.
Therefore, when the football is thrown hard, the football would
rotate upwards because the portion being pushed was below the
center of gravity. As can be seen in the images, the bottom of the
wing bracket it also contoured to allow access for a user hands to
rest against and helps allow one to better hold and grasp the
football. It is expected that the user places his first and middle
finger along the back of the wing bracket. The thumb rests against
the rear body of the football on one side while the ring finger and
pinky finger rest on the opposite side of the rear body. The first
finger and middle finger split the center shaft of the football. It
is also noted that the finger push sections are also near the
center of gravity with respect to the overall product when looking
at it from front to back, or with respect to along the longitudinal
axis. As one can see the finger push sections are also aligned with
center of gravity left to right as well. Therefore, the finger push
sections are aligned with the center of gravity in all three axes.
This is believed to provide more reliable and consistent
launches/throws by the thrower.
FIGS. 16-17 of the '812 application are yet another embodiment of a
tail section where the horizontal tail is ahead of the vertical
tail. Each tail section also includes a hex shaped recess for a
locknut to be placed within. FIGS. 16-17 of the '812 application
show a large tail section for increased stability. The horizontal
tail also includes a protrusion for a thumb screw (not shown). A
tailless version may be constructed that completely removes the
horizontal and vertical tail. Winglets on the end of a main wing
may be used in lieu of the vertical tail and wing twist may be used
in lieu of the horizontal tail.
The wing of the football is also unique. Most RC aircraft use a
foam or wood wing. These wings are easily deformed and broken
during crash landings. These wings cannot stand up to the repeated
use a football encounters. The applicant has invented a wing made
from plastic. The wing is thin in that no substantial thickness is
used. Typically wings have a thickness to them. However, a plastic
wing with a thickness would be too heavy and impractical. Also, to
keep manufacturing costs low, the applicant uses a single layer of
plastic that is curved to produce a wing-like shape. Because the
wing is made from a plastic, such as high-impact polystyrene (HIPS)
or ABS it is stiff yet light enough. HIPS was found to be one of
the optimal choices due to its stiffness in keeping its shape.
However, later is was discovered that ABS was more optimal as it
was not prone to cracking as much as HIPS. As can be seen, a
variety of polymer choices could be used.
The wing is also specially shaped to improve aerodynamics and
provide long, consistent throws. In the applicant's experience, one
optimal configuration is for the wing to have about an 8 percent
thickness measure from the bottom of the leading and trailing
edges. The height of 8 percent is reached about 30 percent along
the cord of the wing. Also, the angle of attack of the whole wing
is at 2 degrees with a 2 degree downward twist of the wing moving
from the center out. This means that at the tip the wing has zero
angle of attack. This helps to keep stability during high angles of
attack when the football is climbing at a high angle. Also, these
wing measurements have provided long throws with substantial
increase in distances thrown.
The middle section also is shown as having two legs or stands
protruding. This allows the product to be placed on a surface and
remain upright.
The wing also has a substantial amount of dihedral such that it
adds to overall stability. The dihedral angle could be 10, 15 or 20
degrees or some other variation thereof. The wings are also swept
backwards to aid in stability and to also keep the wings behind the
football body such that it is easier to catch.
It is also contemplated that one embodiment of the football could
include active surfaces to keep it aligned and straight. These
adaptive/active surfaces could include a gyro/sensor that controls
a servo and a flap, such as is done with radio controlled
aircraft.
In another embodiment, a football could include a height sensor to
keep the football flying about chest level throughout its flight. A
sensor could determine whether the football was too high or too low
and make an adjustment.
It was also discovered during testing of other versions with a
rotating football body that gyroscopic precession can cause the
football to turn in the air. This therefore means that to
neutralize this affect, the center of gravity of the rotating
body/mass along the longitudinal axis should coincide with the
center of the lift being generated such that no gyroscopic
precession exists. A preferred embodiment may include forward swept
wings such that the center of gravity of the rotating mass will be
aligned with the center of the lift being generated. In this way
the product can have its gyroscopic precession minimized to the
point where it has no noticeable affect or to the point where it is
eliminated.
In another embodiment, the football could include active control
surfaces controlled by a transmitter similar to an RC aircraft. A
person throwing and a person catching the product could each
control the football, preferably one at a time. Because the
transmitter is typically held and controlled by one's hands, this
would be impractical for a football. Therefore, a transmitter could
be integrated into a hat or a headband. Control of the football
would be done by tilting one's head forward/backward or left/right.
Sensors in the hat/headband could sense movement and then transmit
them to the football. A switch on the football could be switched
such that control from only one headband is allowed at any one
time.
A baseball version of the product is also possible, as many of the
technologies and lessons learned can be applied to a baseball
version. For instance, the football body could be replaced with a
baseball body. Also, the body could be a double baseball
configuration with a forward baseball body for catching and a
rearward baseball body for throwing.
Moving from the refinements and improvements made in the '812
provisional application, more improvements are disclosed herein as
shown in FIGS. 39-50. The embodiments shown in FIGS. 39-50 are very
close as the version that will go into production. A throwing or
catching toy 300 has a generally elongated spheroidal body 306. The
body 306 can be defined as having a longitudinal axis 312, where a
length 307 of the body along the longitudinal axis 312 between a
front end 311 of the body 306 to a back end 313 of the body 306 is
longer than an equatorial diameter 309.
The equatorial diameter 309 is generally aligned with a center 319
of the body 306. The center 319 is disposed along the longitudinal
axis 312. The center 319 may not evenly split the distance from the
front of the body 311 to the rear of the body 313 depending on the
shape of the body 306. This is the case with the present embodiment
where the football shaped body 306 has a bullet shape.
It has been learned that various prior art patents and texts refer
to a football shape as either being an oblate spheroid or a prolate
spheroid. It is now believed that a prolate spheroid is the proper
geometrical description, however as used herein in previous
applications and this application, both prolate spheroid and oblate
spheroid have the meaning that the body 306 is elongated like a
football such that is cuts through the air better being more
aerodynamic while also resembling a football. It is also understood
herein that football refers to American football and not the game
of soccer where a soccer ball is completely round.
A lift-generating wing 304 is non-movably attached to either the
body 306 or to a support 302. The support 302 is non-movably
attached to the body 306. In this embodiment, the front end 311 of
the body 306 comprises a front end 315 of the toy where the support
302 is not disposed through the front end 311 of the body 306. The
toy 300 is easier to catch when the front end 315 of the toy is
just the football shape without the support 302 protruding or
extending therethrough. In this manner the body 306 is configured
to be thrown and caught by a user.
In this embodiment, it is preferred that the equatorial diameter
309 is at least 3.5 inches. 3.5 inches in diameter is larger than a
typical RC aircraft fuselage but smaller than a full size football.
If the equatorial diameter 309 was less than 3.5 inches, it would
improve aerodynamic drag however it would be at the expense of ease
of catching the toy 300. The product is still a throwing and
catching product and consideration to ease of catching must still
be a valid concern. Some products in the marketplace are simply too
small and easily pass through the open hands of a receiver/user
only to hit the receiver in the head or body.
This embodiment has the body 306 broken up into a front section 308
and a rear section 310. The front section 308 is designed and
configured to reduce the impact loads upon the toy 300 and prevent
injury to the users. One of the major hurdles in perfecting the toy
300 was making a structure and design that could withstand the
abuse of repeated crashes and hard landings while still flying
straight and true. Part of the solution is to make the front
section 308 soft to the touch or to absorb energy. This means that
at least a portion of the front end 311 of the body 306 or the
entire front section 308 be made to have a Shore A durometer
hardness substantially equal to or less than 25. For instance an
EVA style foam may be a good choice for the front section 308. The
upper limit of the Shore A hardness should remain at or below 35. A
Shore A hardness at or less than 25 is optimum. This provides a
good balance of sufficient stiffness while also having sufficient
compression for reducing impact loads. As can be seen the front
section 308 of the body 306 is football shaped providing good
aerodynamics while also being aesthetically pleasing.
Due the material of the front section 308, it is typically quite
heavy. It is preferred that an overall weight of the toy is less
than 400 grams. It is even more preferred if the overall weight is
at or less than 350 grams. Better yet, it is optimum if the overall
weight is at or less than 300 grams. It is also preferred that the
overall weight remain above 200 grams or better yet 250 grams. When
the weight goes down, the toy 300 remains in the air longer as the
lift being generated by the wings 304 keeps the toy flying.
However, if one was to make the toy too light, it could actually
damage the user's arm. It was discovered through testing that
footballs with weights around 150 grams were too light and it would
create physical damage from throwing one's arm out. You could
actually feel small tears in the arm ligaments from throwing
various football products after just a couple throws. It was found
that having a weight around 300 grams was optimal such that it was
easy to throw and yet did not cause any damage to the arm of the
user.
In efforts to keep the weight down, the rear section 310 can be a
lighter material. For instance, the rear section 310 can be EPP,
EPS or EPO. These materials are expanded foam polymers that are
rigid while being extremely light. However, these materials would
not work well for the front end 311 of the body 306 because they
would rip and tear far too easily. The density of the rear section
310 should be at or below 2.0 lbs per cubic feet. EPP has a density
of 1.3 lbs per cubic feet and is preferred.
It was also discovered that the laces 340 on the rear section 310
were susceptible to ripping, tearing and destruction from the
user's hand during the process of throwing. This is because the EPP
foam that made up the rear section 310 would wear prematurely. A
solution is to place a flexible polymer sticker over this area to
provide increased support and increased durability while not
increasing the overall weight of the product.
As best can be seen in FIGS. 39 and 40 and to keep the weight of
the toy 300 down, it is better to optimize the shapes of the front
and rear sections of the body 306 such that the front section 308
has a smaller volume than compared to the rear section 310. The
front section 308 should have a maximum of at least half the volume
of the rear section 310. This means the rear section 310 has at
least double the volume of the front section 308. Even more optimal
the front section 308 should have a maximum of at least one third
of the volume of the rear section 310. This means the rear section
310 has at least three times the volume of the front section 308.
This particular embodiment has a rear section 310 with a volume of
72 square inches where the front section 308 only has a volume of
21 square inches. This means that the rear section 310 has about
3.4 times the volume as compared to the front section 308.
The support 302 extends along the longitudinal axis 312 beyond the
back end 313 of the body 306. The support 302 is a frame for the
whole structure, tying all the parts and pieces together in a fixed
(non-movably) and controlled relationship. The support 302 has a
first end 303 that is disposed within the body 306. The support 302
does not extend outwardly from the front section 308, the front end
of the body 311 or from the front end of the toy 315. The support
302 has a second end 305 that is disposed behind the body 306 and
extends beyond the back end 313 of the body.
The support 302 experiences a tremendous amount of abuse and shock
loads but must remain light and rigid. The use of a thin-walled,
hollow aluminum tube was the best choice after significant trial
and error. The diameter of the tube is also important. In this
embodiment, the aluminum tube comprises a circular cross-section
and comprises an outer diameter of at least 15 mm or greater. As
the outer diameter increases so does the strength and stiffness. 10
mm diameter tubes were used but kept breaking. The amount of
failure was reduced when the outer diameter was increased to 15 mm.
Furthermore, the alloy of aluminum used is also 7075-T6 or
stronger. This is a very high quality aluminum that is extremely
strong. This is needed because other alloys of aluminum would still
break and fail. Other cross-sectional shapes of the aluminum tube
could be used, such as rectangular, square, hexagon, octagon or
other variations thereof. This teaching is not limited to just the
use of a circular cross-section.
A floor stand 342 is attached to a bottom 317 of the body 306,
where the floor stand 342 is configured to stabilize the toy in a
fixed position when the toy is placed upon a generally horizontal
surface. (The bottom 317 is opposite the top of the body 321.) This
is because the floor stand 342 has two protrusions 343 extend
outwardly. It is critical that the protrusions 343 are smoothly
shaped such that they don't cut or puncture a user's hands when the
user is attempting to catch the toy 300.
The lift-generating wing 304 defines a wing centerline 344, where
the wing centerline 344 is generally parallel to the longitudinal
axis. The wing centerline 344 is right down the middle of wing 304
centered between the left and right parts of the wing 304. It has
been discovered through significant trial and error testing that it
is optimal if the wing centerline 344 of the lift-generating wing
306 is disposed at least 3 inches above the longitudinal axis 312.
Having a relatively high wing centerline 344 creates an inherent
stability of the toy in flight and also places the wings above the
user's head when the product is thrown. This significantly makes
the toy 300 easier to throw as one does not need to side-arm the
toy 300 resulting in an awkward throwing movement.
The lift-generating wing 304 also has a dihedral angle of at least
10 degrees, or more optimally at least 15 degrees. The embodiments
shown herein have 17 degrees of dihedral angle. As previously
discussed, the dihedral angle increases the stability of the toy in
flight and is actually 17 degrees. This means that each side of the
wing 304 is rotated up about the wing centerline 344 from a
horizontal plane 17 degrees.
A horizontal stabilizer 346 is disposed behind the lift-generating
wing. The horizontal stabilizer 346 comprises a downward force
producing horizontal stabilizer 346 which creates a nose-up pitch
of the toy 300 in flight. It was found optimal to create a toy 300
with a natural tendency to dive downwards in flight, or pitch
downward in flight. Then the horizontal stabilizer 346 can be
trimmed by the user to balance the toy 300 for their individual
throwing style and ability.
When a wing is producing lift, its forces can be simplified to have
a lift component upwards and a moment component pitching forward. A
wing does not just generate a lift component, as the moment
component is not intuitive to understand. To balance the moment
component one could adjust the center of gravity 348 of the overall
toy by moving it forwards and backwards with respect to the
longitudinal axis. This usually means moving the wings relative to
the rest of the body or structure. However, moving the wings is
very difficult in a toy that needs to withstand repeated crashes
and yet still produce reliable and repeatable alignment crash after
crash. Also, the amount of balance may be different from one person
to another due to the different throwing styles and different
throwing velocities.
A better solution as compared to moving structures along the
longitudinal axis 312 is to use a manual adjuster 350 associated
with just the horizontal stabilizer 346. The manual adjuster 350
controls a shape of the horizontal stabilizer 346. The manual
adjuster 350 is mechanically engaged between the horizontal
stabilizer 346 and the support 302 as best seen in FIG. 50. The
manual adjuster 350 may be a hand-turnable threaded fastener such
as a thumb screw or a wing nut. The manual adjuster 350 can be
threaded into a nylon-insert/locknut 351 that is captured by the
horizontal stabilizer 346. As a user turn the thumb screw 350 it
threadably engages the nut 351 and forces the thumb screw down
causing the back end of the horizontal stabilizer 346 to rise
because the thumb screw is already pressing against the support
302.
The nut 351 can be captured by a nut recess 352. This is best seen
in FIG. 46 where the top of the horizontal stabilizer 346 has two
nut recesses 352 to capture a nut 351 therein. As can be seen, the
shape of the nut recess 352 prevents rotation of the nut 351
itself. Also shown herein are two apertures 353 which are
configured to engage into a wall stand (not shown) that is mounted
to a wall. In this way the toy 300 can be placed vertically along a
wall which allows easy storage when not in use.
To help keep the horizontal stabilizer 346 biased against the
support 302, a notch 349 is formed such that a rubber band may be
placed within and secured around the support 302. Other biasing
mechanisms may be used such as springs or magnets, however a rubber
band is cheap, easily available and easy to secure.
As best seen in FIG. 47, the back end 313 of the body 306 or back
section 310 of the body 306 includes a push surface 354. The push
surface 354 is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
312. The push surface 354 is pivotably or rotatably coupled to the
body 306 or to the support 304, where the push surface 354 can
pivot or rotate about an axis generally parallel to the
longitudinal axis 312 while the push surface 354 is also fixed in
translation in relation to the longitudinal axis 312.
A user places his first finger and middle finger upon the push
surface 354. The fingers will split the support 302. The thumb and
other fingers will grip the rest of the body 306. As seen in FIG.
47, the push surface 354 is already rotated about the longitudinal
axis. It was discovered through trial and error testing that when
throwing the toy 300, many users will impart a spin to the toy 300.
It is inherent in the throwing motion of most people to spin a ball
when thrown. However, imparting a spin into this particular
embodiment shown in FIGS. 39-50 is unwanted. Therefore as a person
throws the toy 300, the two fingers upon the push surface 354
impart the energy forward to create flight. The rotatable push
surface 354 cancels any spin that may or may not be imparted to the
toy 300 when thrown. This is because the push surface 354 is part
of a spinner 356.
The spinner 356 may also capture a bearing 357 to help create a
smooth rotation or pivot about its axis of rotation. It is also
possible to remove the bearing 357 so that the spinner 356 still
rotates about the support 302. It is also possible to use two
bearings 357 on either side of the spinner 356. This particular
embodiment only uses one bearing 357.
The bearing 357 also presses against a rear brace 358. The rear
brace 358 is secured to the support 302. As shown herein the rear
brace 358 slides upon the support 302 and then is fixed to the
support 302. The rear brace 358 captures the rear section 310 of
the body 306 during assembly of the toy 300.
As best shown in FIG. 49, a center of gravity 348 is shown. It is
optimal if the distance along the longitudinal axis 312 between the
push surface 354 and the center of gravity 348 has a distance 359
which is zero. However, it is still acceptable if the distance 359
is 0.5 inches or even 1.0 inch. When the distance 359 is well above
1.0, throwing the toy 300 becomes difficult.
The push surface 354 should also have enough surface area for at
least one finger to push thereon. Therefore, the push surface 354
should have an area of at least 1.0 square inch. Preferably the
push surface 354 should have an area of at least 2.0 square inches
such that two fingers may be used to propel the toy 300.
Wings (airfoils) are defined as having a leading edge and a
trailing edge. The straight distance between the two edges is the
cord length. A wing has a curve it follows when moving from the
leading edge to the trailing edge. This curve is called the camber
line/curve or just camber. The thickness of the wing is centered
about the camber curve. Most wings have a substantial thickness to
them. RC aircraft can use a foamed wing structure to provide
rigidity since the thickness is quite substantial. Other RC
aircraft use balsawood, composites, or carbon fiber with laminates
stretched overtop to create the thickness of the wings. No matter
the wing design for various RC aircraft, none have been designed to
withstand the repeated abuse that a football would encounter. The
wings needed to be durable enough such that they could take
repeated crashes without damage and return to their preformed shape
instantaneously for the next throw. The solution then was to use a
thin section, injection molded, non-foamed, polymer wing and
non-movably mount it to either the body 306 or the support 302.
Therefore, the lift-generating wing 304 comprises a generally
convex upper surface 360 opposite a generally concave lower surface
362, where the upper and lower surfaces define a wing thickness.
The wing thickness is less than 0.10 of an inch. In this particular
embodiment, the thickness is about 0.07 to 0.09 inches at the base
and reduces to about 0.5 to 0.03 inches at the wing tips. The wing
306 is flexible enough that it deforms upon impact yet retains its
shape in flight. The wing 306 is also relatively cheap to produce
as it is a single material (non-composite) type of non-foamed
polymer such as ABS. Accordingly, the wing 306 is an injection
molded, non-foamed, polymer wing.
As best seen in FIGS. 39 and 49, an impact transfer surface 364 is
attached directly to the support 302. The impact transfer surface
364 is shown as a surface of an impact transfer part 365. The
impact transfer surface 364 is disposed within the body 306 and
disposed between the front end 311 of the body 306 and the support
302. The impact transfer surface 364 abuts an inside of the front
section 308. Then the impact transfer part 365 is attached directly
to the support 302 with either a fastener, adhesive or the like.
When the toy 300 impacts an object, such as the ground or a tree,
the impact force is transmitted from the front section 308 directly
into the impact transfer surface 364 and impact transfer part 365
and then the impact force is transmitted directly to the support
302. Impact forces are then not transmitted to the rear section 310
of the body 306 or to the spinner 356.
Furthermore, the horizontal stabilizer 346 is disposed behind the
lift-generating wing 304, where the horizontal stabilizer 346 is
attached directly to the support 302. This allows the energy stored
in the horizontal stabilizer 346 to be transferred directly along
the support 302. Furthermore, a vertical stabilizer 366 is disposed
behind the lift-generating wing 304, where the vertical stabilizer
366 is attached directly to the support 302. Again, this allows the
energy stored in the vertical stabilizer 366 to be transferred
directly along the support 302. As shown herein, the horizontal
stabilizer 346 and the vertical stabilizer 366 both comprise an
injection molded, non-foamed, polymer stabilizer.
The impact transfer surface 364 is generally perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis 312. The impact transfer surface 364 optimally
has an impact area of at least 2.5 square inches, where the impact
area faces the front end 311 of the body 306. However, one could
shape the impact transfer surface 364 in a multitude of shapes
including spheroidal, football shaped, slanted, angled or any other
shape that still sufficiently transfers impact energy from the
front section 308 to the support 302.
As is best seen in FIG. 41, the wing 304 is attached to the support
302 through a wing bracket 368. The wing bracket 368 is shown
herein to slide overtop the support 302. A screw and fastener can
then be used to permanently fix the bracket 368 relative to the
support 302. The wing bracket 368 should be made from a high-impact
resistance material such as polycarbonate. This is because a lot of
force is transmitted through the bracket 368 during a crash and
polycarbonate has a high impact resistance.
The wing bracket 368 is attached to the support 302 behind the back
end of the body 313. The wing bracket 368 then extends upwards to
attach the wing 304. As can be seen, the wing 304 and body 306 are
separately disposed. This means that an outside contiguous envelope
of the body 306 does not coincide with any portion of an outside
contiguous envelope of the lift-generating wing 304. This design
assists the user to catch the toy 300 because the whole body 306
may be grabbed at any angle without having to worry about a portion
of the toy 300 getting in the way. This is also why the wings 304
are disposed behind the center 319 of the body 306 and above the
longitudinal axis 312.
The lift-generating wing 304 is non-movably attached to the support
by a non-pivotable and non-rotatable male-to-female connection 370,
where a male portion 372 of the male-to-female connection 370 is
configured to non-pivotably and non-rotatably engage into a female
portion 374 of the male-to-female connection 370, where the
lift-generating wing 304 comprises one of either the male portion
or the female portion and the support 302 or wing bracket 368
comprises the other of the male portion or female portion. As shown
herein, the bracket 368 has the male portion 372 and the wing 304
includes the female portion 374. Here a shape of an oval is used.
An oval placed inside an oval is not capable of rotation or
pivoting. The wing 304 can then be held attached to the bracket 368
with a fastener and a nut. In this way, impact forces are
transmitted from the structures of the male-to-female connection
370 and are not transmitted directly to the fasteners. Using
fasteners to absorb the impact loads would lead to premature
failure and parts breaking too quickly. The bracket 368 has two
recesses 376 that are sized to capture a nut such that a separate
tool is not needed to hold the nut during assembly. This is done to
simplify the assembly process and reduce the number of tools needed
for assembly.
As best seen in FIG. 47, the spinner 356 has finger extensions 378
extending in a direction aligned with the longitudinal axis. When a
user places their fingers on the finger push surface 354 it is
critical that the fingers don't extend over the edge of the spinner
356. Therefore, the finger extensions 378 block the fingers from
being placed above the correct location or sliding above the
correct location.
Although several embodiments of the throwing and catching flying
toy 300 have been described in detail for purposes of illustration,
various modifications may be made to each without departing from
the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention
is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Bowless Arrow:
A typical bow projects arrows by its elasticity. The bow is
essentially a form of spring. As the bow is drawn, energy is stored
in the limbs of the bow and transformed into rapid motion when the
string is released, with the string transferring this force to the
arrow. The basic elements of a bow are a pair of curved elastic
limbs, traditionally made from wood, connected by a string. By
pulling the string backwards the archer exerts compressive force on
the string-facing section, or belly, of the limbs as well as
placing the outer section, or back, under tension. While the string
is held, this stores the energy later released in putting the arrow
to flight. When the arrow is shot, the shooter still has the bow
remaining in his hands. An arrow cannot be easily projected without
the use of a bow.
As shown in FIGS. 21-27, a bowless arrow 400 is now disclosed
comprising a shaft 402 defined as including a forward end 404
opposite a rear end 406. A slider 408 is translatably coupled along
the shaft 402. The slider 408 includes a front-hand support 410
extending substantially perpendicular to the shaft 402. The slider
408 can be formed to travel on the outside of the shaft 402 or
partially on the inside of the shaft 402.
A rear-hand grip 412 is located substantially about the rear end
406 of the shaft 402. A resiliently stretchable bias 414 is
attached relative to the slider 408 and either the rear end 406 of
the shaft 402 or the rear-hand grip 412. The bias 414 can be a
spring, a stretchable material such as a rubber band or any other
suitable biasing means. As shown best in FIG. 24, the bias 414 is a
tube of rubber or the like. The tube 414 is then pressed onto a
barbed end 416 of the slider 408 and a barbed end 418 of the
rear-hand grip 412. A cushion 420 can be placed about the bias 414
such that it dissipates the energy from a launch without damaging
the internal components. A slider cushion 422 can be formed overtop
the slider 408 for safety as well.
In the embodiments shown herein, the bias 414 and a portion of the
slider 408 and rear-hand grip 412 are disposed within the shaft
402. This provides for a simplistic appearance. The shaft 402 has a
slot 430 that allows the slider 408 to be partially within the
shaft 402 while allowing the front-hand support 410 to remain
outside. It is to be understood by one skilled in the art that
there are a multitude of methods and ways a slider 408 can be
translatably coupled along a shaft 402, as this disclosure is not
intended to limit it to the precise forms described and shown
herein.
An exemplary embodiment may include an arrow tip 424 located at the
forward end 404 of the shaft 402. The arrow tip 424 may comprise an
energy dissipating material, such as foam or the like. Also, a
plurality of tail fins 426 may be substantially evenly located
about the rear end 406 of the shaft 402.
FIG. 25 shows how the bowless arrow 400 can be drawn. The rear hand
of the shooter grasps the rear-hand grip 412 while the front hand
of the user is placed upon the front-hand support 410. The bowless
arrow 400 is then drawn backwards causing the internal bias 414 to
stretch and store energy. As is shown in FIG. 26, when the shooter
releases the rear-hand grip 412, the bowless arrow 400 is propelled
forward.
Another exemplary embodiment may include a lift-generating wing 428
attached relative to the shaft 402. The lift-generating wing 428
may be similar in design to the methods discussed earlier regarding
the flying football, as all the teachings are incorporated herein
without repetition. This includes the pivotably adjustable
features, the dihedral features, the positioning above the center
of gravity, and the breakaway features. The bowless arrow 400 with
wing 428 is commonly referred to as the Arrow Plane.
In another exemplary embodiment, the arrow tip 424 may comprise a
substantially oblate spheroidal or football shape. This means that
the bowless arrow 400 can be used to play catch. The shooter could
launch the bowless arrow 400 at a receiver, and the receiver could
catch the football arrow tip 424. Then the receiver becomes the
shooter launching the bowless arrow 400 back.
Although several embodiments of the bowless arrow 400 have been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to
be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Catapult Javelin:
As shown in FIGS. 28-31, a distance-enhanced throwing toy 500 is
disclosed comprising an elongated shaft 502 defined as having a
forward end 504 opposite a rear end 506. A tail fin 508 is located
about the rear end 506 of the shaft 502. Alternatively, the tail
fin 508 may comprise a plurality of tail fins 508 substantially
evenly located about the rear end 506 of the shaft 502. A tip 510
is located relative to the forward end 504 of the shaft 502. The
tip 510 may comprise a multitude of designs previously discussed
herein, such as a football shape, an arrow head shape or other
various designs. The tip 510 may be comprised of an impact
absorbing foam or energy dissipating material to reduce the chance
of injuries or for catching the toy 500 once thrown.
An elongated handle 512 is pivotably attached substantially near
the forward end 504 of the shaft 502. The handle 512 is temporarily
and securedly biased and pivotable between a first position 514 and
a second position 516. The handle 512 and shaft 502 are generally
parallel in the first position 514. The handle 512 and shaft 502
are generally perpendicular in the second position 516. The
elongated handle 512 can also have a grip 520 disposed at its
distal end.
As shown better in FIGS. 30-31, a bias mechanism 518 may be
attached relative to the shaft 502 and handle 512. The bias
mechanism 518 temporarily and securedly biases the handle 512 in
the first position 514 and second position 516. The bias mechanism
518 acts in a similar manner to a cam. For instance the handle 512
is pivotably attached to the shaft 502 at the pivot 522. An
elastomeric material 524 or spring is properly positioned to hold
the handle 512 in the two different positions. As shown in FIG. 30,
the handle 512 is in the second position 516. The elastomeric
material 524 can be a rubber band or the like. The rubber band 524
is pulling the handle 512 to further open, thereby biasing it to
remain in the second position 616. FIG. 31 shows how the same
rubber band 524 can then pull the handle 512 to remain in the first
position 514 for flight.
When the toy 500 is thrown, the handle 512 is in the second
position 516. Upon release, a slight tug of the handle 512 moves it
away from the second position 512 and then the angles of the rubber
band 524 bias the handle 512 to the first position 514. The handle
512 will then close fully as the toy 500 is in the air. As can be
seen by one skilled in the art, there are a multitude of ways and
methods for biasing the handle 512 between the two positions 514
and 516 as this disclosure is not intended to limit it to the
precise forms shown and described herein.
The toy 500 is capable of being thrown substantially further than a
typical throwing toy due to the increased length of the throwing
arm, i.e. the handle 512. Our initial prototype was able to easily
achieve a distance thrown of over 300 feet. This distance was
almost two to three times the distance of a normally thrown toy,
such as a football or a baseball. The distance thrown is increased
because the release velocity is substantially faster than a
person's hand can travel.
After a short bit of practice, it was possible to aim the toy 500
relatively accurately at an intended receiver. The best throwing
technique was to throw the toy 500 side arm, as opposed to throwing
it overhead. Throwing the toy 500 side arm allowed for a wide range
of movement and allowed the hips to rotate and help launch the toy
500.
Although several embodiments of the bowless distance-enhanced
throwing toy 500 have been described in detail for purposes of
illustration, various modifications may be made to each without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly,
the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended
claims.
Cruise Missile:
As shown in FIGS. 32-33, a throwing and flying toy 600 is disclosed
which resembles a cruise missile when appropriately styled. The toy
600 incorporates the teachings of the Catapult Javelin and Flying
Football herein without repetition. The toy 600 comprises a
generally elongated body 602. The body 602 includes a front portion
604 rotatably attached to a rear portion 606. The front portion 604
includes the tip 610, which tip 610 may be formed of an impact
dissipating material for safety. In another exemplary embodiment
the tip 610 can be styled like an arrow head or football.
A tail fin 608 is located about the rear portion 606 of the body
602. The tail fin 608 may also comprise a plurality of tail fins
608 substantially evenly disposed about the rear portion 606. The
plurality of tails fins 608 may be fixedly attached to the rear
portion 606 or rotatably attached to the rear portion 606.
A lift-generating wing 626 is attached relative to the rear portion
606 of the body 602. The wing 626 may be similar in design to the
methods discussed earlier regarding the Flying Football, as all the
teachings are incorporated herein without repetition. This includes
the pivotably adjustable features, the dihedral features, the
positioning above the center of gravity, and the breakaway
features.
An elongated handle 612 is pivotably attached relative to the front
portion 604 of the body 602. The handle 612 is temporarily and
securedly biased and pivotable between a first position 614 and a
second position 616. The handle 612 and body 602 are generally
parallel in the first position 614 and the handle 612 and body 602
are generally perpendicular in the second position 616. This is
similar in design to the methods discussed earlier regarding the
Catapult Javelin, as all the teaching are incorporated herein
without repetition.
A bias mechanism similar to 518 may be attached relative to the
front portion 604 and handle 612. The bias mechanism 518
temporarily and securedly biases the handle 612 in the first
position 614 and second position 616. The bias mechanism 518 is
similar in design to the mechanism of the Catapult Javelin. For
instance, the handle 612 is pivotably attached to the front portion
604 at a pivot similar to the pivot 522. An elastomeric material
524 or spring is properly positioned to hold the handle 612 in the
two different positions. As shown in FIG. 32, the handle 612 is in
the second position 616. The elastomeric material 524 can be a
rubber band or the like. The rubber band 524 is pulling the handle
612 to further open, thereby biasing it to remain in the second
position 616. FIG. 32 shows how the same rubber band 524 can then
pull the handle 612 to remain in the first position 614 for
flight.
In another exemplary embodiment, the body 602 may comprise a
substantially missile-like shape. When the toy 600 is in the air,
the weight of the handle 612 will rotate the front portion 604
downwards such that the handle 612 remains below the body 602. When
the toy 600 is about to be thrown, the rear portion 606 must be
weight biased to remain upright, because this embodiment does not
include the equivalent of a thumb grip as did the Flying Football.
This means that the overall weight of the rear portion 606 must
have a center of gravity below the longitudinal axis 628 such that
the wing 626 doesn't cause the rear portion 606 to rotate
upside-down before a throw. This can be accomplished by placing a
weight below the longitudinal axis 628 affixed to the rear portion
606. Once the toy 600 is in the air, the dihedral and high mounted
wing location keeps the wings 626 upright during flight.
The overall weight of the toy 600 should be around 150 grams. The
light weight allows a fast whipping action that is needed to reach
increased velocities. Furthermore, a light weight toy 600 will
impart less energy if it does hit an object, such as a person. Even
though the toy 600 may be traveling extremely fast, it is hard to
create an injury if the overall mass is extremely low.
Although several embodiments of the throwing and flying toy 600
have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to
be limited, except as by the appended claims.
As used herein throughout the entirety of this disclosure:
substantially means largely but not wholly that which is specified;
plurality means two or more; disposed means joined or coupled
together or to bring together in a particular relation; and
longitudinal means of, relating to, or occurring in the lengthwise
dimension or relating to length.
Although several inventions and embodiments of each have been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to
be limited, except as by the appended claims.
REFERENCE NUMBER LIST
Jetball:
10 Self-Propelled Flying Toy 12 Body 14 Front Section 16 Center
Section 18 Rear Section 20 Longitudinal Axis 22 Ducted Fan 24
Electric Motor 26 Electrical Power Source 27 Structural Supports 28
Air-Inlet 30 Air-Outlet 32 On-Off Switch 34 Accelerometer 36
Microcontroller 38 Air-Permeable Structure 40 Charging Port 42
Lever Switch 44 Lever 46 Switch Body 48 Button 50 Electrical
Connection Stubs 52 Weight 54 Conductive Mass 56 Circuit Gap 58
Cylindrical Hole 60 Electrical Circuit 62 Reed Switch 64 Permanent
Magnet 66 First Ducted Fan 68 Second Ducted Fan 70 Pitch Adjustable
Single Ducted Fan 72 Laces 74 Sliding Hub 76 Main Hub 78 Linkage 80
Self Propelled Flying Toy 82 Angled Surfaces 84 Truncated End 86
Auxiliary Air-Inlet 88 Aperture 90 Smaller Gear 92 Larger Gear 94
Centrifugal Switches 96 Timer 98 First Section 100 Second Section
102 First Plastic Screen 104 Second Plastic Section 106 Electrical
Board PropRocket: 200 Self-Propelled Rocket Toy 202 Elongated Body
204 Longitudinal Axis 206 Top End 208 Bottom End 210 Propeller 212
Electric Motor 214 Power Source 216 Activation Mechanism 218
Outwardly Extending Supports 220 Auxiliary Charger 222 Ring 224
Charger Port 226 Launch Button, On Body 228 Timer 230 Receiver 232
Remote Launch Transmitter 234 Centrifugal Switch 236 Stand 238
Tethered Launch Button 240 Launch Button, On Stand 242 Frame 244
Electrical Board 246 Air Flow, Support 248 Rotation, Support 250
Air Flow, Propeller 252 Rotation, Propeller 254 Flap 256 Stop 258
Extension 260 Guide 262 Track 264 Stand 266 Extension 268 Axis of
Pivot 270 Surface 272 Distance Flying Football: 300 Throwing or
Catching Flying Toy 302 Structural Support 303 First End of Support
304 Lift-Generating Wing 305 Second End of Support 306 Body 307
Length of Body 308 Front Section 309 Equatorial Diameter 310 Rear
Section 311 Front End of Body 312 Longitudinal Axis 313 Back End of
Body 314 Tail 315 Front End of Toy 316 Tail Fin 317 Bottom of Body
318 Tail End 319 Center of Body 320 Thumb Grip 321 Top of Body 322
Bearing 324 Pitch Axis 326 Pivot 328 Screw 330 Bias 332 Dihedral
Angle 334 Horizontal Section 336 Dihedral Section 338 Vacuum-Formed
Plastic Part 340 Laces 342 Floor Stand 343 Protrusions on Floor
Stand 344 Wing Centerline 346 Horizontal Stabilizer 348 Center of
Gravity 349 Notch 350 Manual Adjuster 351 Nut 352 Nut Recess 353
Wall Stand Apertures 354 Push Surface 356 Spinner 357 Bearing 358
Rear Brace 359 Distance 360 Convex Upper Surface 362 Concave Lower
Surface 364 Impact Transfer Surface 365 Impact Transfer Part 366
Vertical Stabilizer 368 Wing Bracket 370 Male-to-Female Connection
372 Male Portion 374 Female Portion 376 Recess 378 Finger
Extensions Bowless Arrow: 400 Bowless Arrow 402 Shaft 404 Forward
End 406 Rear End 408 Slider 410 Front-Hand Support 412 Rear-Hand
Support 414 Resiliently Stretchable Bias 416 Barbed End, Slider 418
Barbed End, Rear-Hand Grip 420 Cushion 422 Slider Cushion 424 Arrow
Tip 426 Plurality Of Tail Fins 428 Lift-Generating Wing 430 Slot
Catapult Javelin: 500 Distance-Enhanced Throwing Toy 502 Elongated
Shaft 504 Forward End 506 Rear End 508 Tail Fin 510 Tip 512
Elongated Handle 514 First Position 516 Second Position 518 Bias
Mechanism 520 Grip 522 Pivot 524 Elastomeric Material Cruise
Missile: 600 Throwing And Flying Toy 602 Elongated Body 604 Front
Portion 606 Rear Portion 608 Tail Fin 610 Tip 612 Elongated Handle
614 First Position 616 Second Position 518 Bias Mechanism 620 Grip
522 Pivot 524 Elastomeric Material 626 Lift-Generating Wing 628
Longitudinal Axis
* * * * *
References